


Just Like Jim and Pam

by Catcat85



Series: Meet-Cute [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Office, First Meetings, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Meet-Cute, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25755631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catcat85/pseuds/Catcat85
Summary: Inspired by Jim and Pam's relationship from the show, the Office. Cooper Anderson owns a top talent agency in Los Angeles. Kurt is Cooper's assistant. Blaine is a new Junior Agent. They meet on Blaine's first day of work, and Blaine falls for Kurt immediately. But there are things Blaine needs to prioritize first. Not to mention, Kurt may or may not already have a boyfriend. Oh, and there's also Sebastian, who has eyes for Blaine.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Series: Meet-Cute [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853506
Comments: 112
Kudos: 84





	1. One

Blaine is running late. He is late for his first day at work. He’s not the type to be late to anything. Blaine has always been 15 minutes early for everything. But, today is not the day. He is still getting used to the LA traffic and didn’t leave his apartment early enough to get to work on time. 

Blaine had moved to Los Angeles just a week ago. After graduating from Harvard with a Business Management degree, his older brother had offered him a job at his company. Cooper Anderson owns one of the top talent agencies in the country. CAA was created when Cooper’s dreams of becoming a big Hollywood star didn’t pan out like he had hoped. But, it turns out that Cooper is really good at getting other people famous. Since moving out to Los Angeles after high school to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, he had made a lot of friends and connections in the industry. With his good looks and charms, he had made great relationships with studio heads and network executives in Hollywood over the years for his clients to get cast in movies and shows. CAA has some of the A list celebrities and the agency has a reputation in Tinsel Town for making stars out of newcomers. 

Blaine is going to be starting as a Junior Agent. He’s excited about it; his new job, new life, and living in a new city. Granted, Blaine didn’t dream of becoming a talent agent. He wanted to play baseball professionally. He dreamed of pitching for the Reds or the Dodgers, until an incident during Freshman year damaged his right wrist to a point where he can no longer play baseball at a competitive level. Blaine was devastated, but he’s making the best of it. He worked hard in high school and got into Harvard. He decided to study business, so he can get into any field he wants to get into. He is still in the process of finding his next dream. When Cooper offered him a job as Junior Agent at CAA, Blaine took it. What better place to find your dream than in the city of dreams? 

But, Blaine’s first day of finding his dream is not turning out so great. Cooper is not going to be happy with him for being late on his first day. He is thirty minutes late. After parking his car in the underground parking garage of the office building. Blaine grabs his messenger bag and runs to the elevator. He presses the up button to call the elevator but nothing happened. He starts to panic until he remembers his employee badge that was given to him last Friday during orientation. He pulls out a lanyard that is dangling from the back pocket of his messenger bag and scans his badge on the panel. The up button lights up green and Blaine presses it to wait for the elevator. 

When he gets to the 9th floor where the CAA offices are located, he scans his badge again to open the glass door to enter the main reception area. He puts the lanyard around his neck, so that his employee badge is dangling in front of his stomach. He smiles politely at the receptionist before rushing over to Cooper’s office. His brother is going to kill him for being late. 

Blaine walks past the offices of senior agents who are busy on the phones or meeting with clients. He then walks into a large open space office area where Junior agents sit. He imagines one of the empty desks in the room is his, but he needs to see his brother first. 

Blaine walks straight toward Cooper’s office at the end of the open office space. The blinds are covering what normally is all glass walls of Cooper’s office, so he knows his brother must be in a meeting. 

“Hi there! I think you are in the wrong place. New client mixer is going to be on the second floor in the Rose room.” A soft voice says from Blaine’s right side. 

Blaine turns to see the most breathtakingly gorgeous man he has ever laid his eyes on. He takes in a breath and tries not to stare, when he realizes he’s supposed to respond. 

“Oh, I’m not here for the new client mixer.” Blaine responds as he walks over to the man’s desk. 

“Oh.” Mr. Gorgeous moves his mouth in an ‘O’ shape as he looks at Blaine. “I thought you were one of the new actors we signed on.” 

Blaine chuckles shyly. “Um, I’m flattered, but no.” He pulls his lanyard out to show his employee badge. “I’m a new Junior Agent. My name’s Blaine.” He offers his hand with a smile. 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! You’re Cooper’s brother.” He stands up to shake Blaine’s hand. “I’m Kurt. Kurt Hummel. Cooper’s executive assistant.” 

“Nice to meet you, Kurt.” Blaine replies brightly before looking around the office, where he sees some agents on the phones and some desks that are empty. He figures some of the agents are out with their clients or at the mixer that Kurt mentioned. “I’m afraid I’m late for my first day. Coop is going to kill me.” 

Kurt chuckles. “Don’t worry, he’s been in a meeting for about 40 minutes. Some PR crises for one of our clients.” He whispers the last part to Blaine as he leans closer and Blaine gets a whiff of spicy vanilla scent from him that is intoxicating. “I’ll show you your desk. Cooper doesn’t need to know that you came in 30 minutes late.” Kurt says already leading Blaine over to an empty desk across from his own. 

Blaine smiles, completely touched by Kurt’s kindness. If he wasn’t already falling for this gorgeous man before, he sure is now. “Wow, thank you.” 

“Here you are!” Kurt says pulling a chair out for Blaine. 

Blaine chuckles and sits down in his chair after putting his messenger bag down on the desk. “Thank you!” 

“Your email should be already set up and there should be a welcome email from HR in your inbox. If you have questions about your computer, just ring up IT. Their extension is on your phone.” 

Blaine looks up at Kurt with a smile. “Thank you so much for your help. It's extremely nice of you.” 

“Of course! Cooper has been talking nonstop about his little brother joining the company. He’s very excited to have you on board.” Kurt replies. 

“How long have you been working here?” Blaine asks curiously. Kurt looks to be about the same age he is. 

“Just over a year.” Kurt replies leaning against, Blaine’s desk. “I started here about two months after graduating from college.” 

“Let me guess, you are an aspiring model.” Blaine guesses. “No, wait, actor.” He snaps his fingers. “You went to drama school.” 

Kurt tilts his head back and laugh, exposing his long neck and flawless, porcelain skin for Blaine to admire. “I’ll take that as a compliment?” He replies as a question, to which Blaine shrugs with a smile. “No, uh, I went to FIDM. I want to design clothes and have my own label.” 

Blaine raises his eyebrow, impressed. “So, what are you doing working as an assistant at a talent agency?” He asks and Kurt frowns. Blaine scrambles to apologize. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just...” 

Kurt puts his hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “It’s ok, Blaine. I’m not offended.” 

Blaine feels his skin tingle with goosebumps from Kurt’s touch. He’s disappointed when Kurt removes his hand. 

“I’m not sure if you know, but fashion world is very competitive. I had interned at Teen Vogue while I was in college, but just helping out at photoshoots and steaming garments backstage at runway shows don’t really take you far. I was making connections but wasn’t getting any job offers at design houses or with designers. I met Cooper at a Young Hollywood party that Teen Vogue was hosting. He was there scouting new talent to sign to the agency.” 

Kurt smiles fondly thinking of the memory. “He, like you.” Kurt gestures toward Blaine. “thought I was an actor. He tried to sign me on.” Kurt chuckles softly. “But I gently turned him down and jokingly said I would much prefer to get at job at his agency than be one of his clients. He looked at me and said ‘Done’. I thought he was joking. We continued to talk and I told him about working at Teen Vogue and going to FIDM, and dreaming about becoming a designer one day. Before he left, he gave me his business card and said he would see me on Monday at 8 am sharp and to dress well because I am now his executive assistant.” 

“Wow!” Blaine breathes. “That’s quite a story.” 

“Yeah. I showed up that Monday morning dressed in my best outfit. He had my offer letter typed up on company letterhead. It was all very official. I knew he was serious then. I was more surprised when I saw the salary amount that he was offering me. I wouldn’t be making even half that amount if I had gotten an assistant position at a fashion house. I was right out of college. I needed the money to pay back my student loan and be able to afford my apartment and other living expenses. I didn’t want to financially rely on my Dad anymore. Cooper seemed like a nice guy, so I took the offer. The rest is history.” Kurt finishes his story. 

“So, you’re happy with your decision then?” Blaine asks. For whatever reason, that was important for him to know. He just met Kurt and yet he wants to make sure Kurt is happy. 

Kurt smiles brightly at Blaine with his blue eyes sparkling. “Yes. I’ve learned a lot working at CAA. Even though I’m not in the fashion industry, I am learning a lot about the entertainment industry and my connections from the fashion world come in handy time and time again when Cooper wants to get one of our clients to be the face of a design house or a fashion brand. But I still draw sketches from time to time. Who knows what can become of it someday, but for now, I am very happy at CAA.” 

Blaine smiles. “Did you know that Cooper named the agency after himself?” He leans close to Kurt as if he’s sharing a secret. “CAA is his initials. Cooper Andrew Anderson.” 

Kurt bursts out laughing and doesn’t hear the door to Cooper office opened and people walk out. 

“Blainey! Stop telling all my secrets to my assistant and get in here!” Cooper calls Blaine over, stopping the two from laughing and look over to him. “And you!” Cooper points at Kurt, giving him a glare that doesn’t look anywhere near convincing to show he’s angry. “Don’t believe anything he says and get back to work.” 

Kurt stops laughing and smiles at Cooper before walking back over to his desk. “You need to be at the New Client Mixer on the second floor in thirty minutes, Coop.” 

“Thanks for reminding me. Did you finish...” 

“Yes.” Kurt replies. “I proofread it and sent it back over for you to sign.” 

Cooper smiles at Kurt. “That’s why I keep you around. Thanks, Kurt!” He says before putting an arm on Blaine’s shoulder. “Come on, Squirt!” 

Blaine groans as he follows his older brother into the office. “Please don’t call me that.” He whines before shooting Kurt a glare when he hears him laugh. 

Once they are seated in Cooper’s office, Blaine looks around the impressive view of the city through Cooper’s floor to ceiling windows. 

“So, are you settling in ok?” Cooper asks, studying his brother. 

Blaine smiles before glancing over at Kurt, who is typing on his computer. “Yeah.” 

“Oh no!” Cooper shakes his head and says with a warning tone. “No, Squirt.” 

“What?” Blaine feigns innocence. 

“Not Kurt. Don't even think about it.” 

Blaine frowns. “Why not? He’s gorgeous! Not to mention, kind and smart, and did I mention gorgeous?” 

Cooper sighs. “Yes, Kurt is all of those things and more. But B, I know you. You don’t just jump into relationships with both feet. You dive into the deep end and completely submerge yourself. You’ve probably already planned out how you want to propose to Kurt and how many kids you want to have.” 

“Two. A boy and a girl.” Blaine responds immediately proving Cooper’s point. “ _Come on!_ You know I’ve always loved kids.” 

“You just got here, Blaine. This is the beginning of your new career. You can’t get distracted with boys. This is _Hollywood!_ It’s cut throat out there. I need you to be laser focused! I gave you this job because you’re my brother. Whether or not you have a future here at CAA is entirely up to your performance. Nepotism can only get you a foot in the door. I won’t treat you any differently because you’re my brother. If you mess up, there will be consequences. No amount of phone calls from Mom is going to stop me from firing your ass.” Cooper tells Blaine firmly. 

Blaine nods, impressed with his older brother. He’s always seen Cooper as his goofy older brother. It’s nice to see Cooper being a responsible business owner who is tough but fair. Cooper just earned a lot more respect from Blaine. 

“Alright, I know I need to focus on work. I’ll leave Kurt alone.” Blaine says before looking longingly at Kurt. 

“You can be friends, Blaine. I’m not saying ignore Kurt completely. Just keep it platonic, alright? I want you to succeed, little brother. I also want you to be happy and find love. But I also know how you get so lost in a relationship that it becomes your life. It hasn’t worked out well in the past. All I'm saying is get yourself established in your career first. Love and marriage will follow suit.” He says before looking over at a picture frame on his desk of his family with a smile. 

Blaine smiles at Cooper. “You’re right. Work is my first priority for now. Tell me what to do. What’s my first assignment?” 

Cooper types on his computer. “Your first assignment is to go to the New Client Mixer with me. I’ll introduce you to your first clients. I’ll start you out with two to see how well you can handle them. At the end of the 90-day period, we’ll reevaluate and review your performance. If you make it through 90 days and can get your clients booked for some jobs, auditions count, then you’ll come on board and become a permanent team member of CAA. My goal for you is to be a Senior Agent by your one-year anniversary at the agency.” 

“Challenge accepted.” Blaine says before he shakes Cooper’s hand. 

He can do this. 

\------------ 

Blaine spends most of the day getting to know his clients. One of them is Ella Grace, an 11-year-old girl from Australia who’s got a great potential to be a big star. She’s done a few commercials, but Blaine wants to get her into a show. 

His second client is Sebastian Smythe, 21-year-old model turned actor. He had a small part in one of the Disney Channel shows, but he’s aching for more. 

“I’m better than some guest star on a Disney Channel show, Cooper! Get me an agent who can get me into auditions!” Sebastian had yelled at Cooper at the mixer. 

Cooper then introduced Sebastian to Blaine and Sebastian all but eye fuck him the entire time they were talking about future opportunities for Sebastian. Blaine did his best to keep it professional and not let Sebestian’s flirty comments distract him. 

After the mixer and meeting with his clients, Blaine goes back up to the office to find a stack of scripts on his desk. He looks at the large pile of scripts and looks up to find Kurt smirking at him. 

“Cooper told me who your clients are. It’s my job to keep the information updated in our database and also to weed out scripts I think that would be good for each agent’s clients.” 

“There’s like 10 scripts here.” Blaine says eyeing the pile. 

“16 actually.” Kurt replies. “I put post-its on the front of the scripts with either Ella’s or Sebastian’s names, so you know which ones are for which.” 

Blaine smiles gratefully at Kurt. “Thanks Kurt.” He plops down into his chair and picks up one of the scripts on the top. “So, any of these good?” Blaine begins to flip through the script. 

“Oh, I didn’t read them.” 

Blaine raises an eyebrow at Kurt in question. 

Kurt shrugs. “I’m an executive assistant! Not an agent. I sort through scripts based on the synopsis and find out which parts they are having auditions for. I hand them over to agents who have clients that might be good for these roles. It’s _your_ job, as an agent, to read the scripts and when you find some that you like and think your client would be a good fit for the role, you get them an audition.” Kurt explains before sighing. “Really, I’m doing all the work here.” 

Blaine chuckles and rolls his eyes. 

_He’s witty and has a sense of humor._

Blaine sighs dramatically. “Fine! I’ll read them.” 

Kurt smiles before looking back at his inbox. “Good.” 

“It’s almost end of the day. Do you want to go grab dinner and keep me company while I read through these? My treat.” Blaine asks casually. 

Kurt smiles. “Rain check? I already got plans tonight.” 

“Fancy Hollywood party?” Blaine guesses. 

“Actually, my boyfriend’s opening night at the Pantages. He’s the lead in Anastasia.” Kurt replies with so much pride. 

Blaine forgets to breathe for a second and lets the news wash over him. 

_Boyfriend._

_Kurt has a boyfriend._

_Kurt has an actor boyfriend._

“Oh.” 

Kurt smiles. “Yeah. Maybe you can come see the show with me next time. I’ll ask Adam if he can swing another ticket.” 

Blaine forces a smile at Kurt. “Sure.” 

He looks down at a script in his hands trying to concentrate on reading. He reads the same paragraph 4 times before he gives up. He begins to pack up his stuff and carries all 16 scripts in his arms. 

“I’m gonna head home to tackle these. See you tomorrow.” He tells Kurt solemnly. 

Kurt smiles up at him. “Ok, see you tomorrow Blaine. Maybe we can go to lunch together tomorrow. Cooper is going to be out for a lunch meeting with Bradley Cooper. I’ll show you one of my favorite lunch spots around the corner from the office.” 

Blaine feels his heart rate speed up at an opportunity to spend time with Kurt arises. “Sounds great! I’m looking forward to it.” He replies, smiling genuinely back to Kurt before waving goodbye at Cooper, who waves back at him from his office. 

As Blaine drives home, his thoughts do not leave Kurt. Cooper is not wrong when he said Blaine jumps in too deep too quickly, but this feels different. _Kurt_ feels different. From the first moment he has laid eyes on Kurt, something inside of him awakens. Kurt makes him feel things he hasn’t felt since his wrist injury that ended his baseball dream. Kurt inspires him to dream again. To dream of a future where Kurt is by his side. He came to Los Angeles to find a new dream, and he’s going to work hard to find it. Whether it’s with CAA or he ends up taking a different career path in the future, there is one thing he knows for sure. 

He wants Kurt. 

Not just in a sexual, lustful way. 

He wants Kurt in his life, in his heart, in every fiber of his being, but most importantly, he wants to be Kurt’s.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mature Language

“Save the Date.” 

“Sucks!” 

Blaine reframes from rolling his eyes. Sebastian has been rejecting every good role that he can audition for. The roles that Blaine thinks are a good way to gain exposure for a newcomer. 

“Arrow.” 

“Tiny role! Guest appearance!” Sebastian replies irritated. “I thought I told you _and_ your brother that I want lead roles! You are _seriously_ hot Blaine, but if you can’t get me the lead roles, I’m firing you!” 

From the desk across from Blaine’s, Kurt rolls his eyes while keeping his head down, sorting through a pile of scripts. This is not the first time Sebastian has made an inappropriate comment towards Blaine. It’s clear that Blaine is not interested, and yet Sebastian continues to pursue him. At this point, Kurt wants to just punch a smirk off of Sebastian’s meerkat face just so he would stop talking and making Blaine feel uncomfortable. 

Blaine has had it with Sebastian. It has been a month. A month of him working at CAA and being Sebastian’s agent. Blaine had found some good roles for Sebastian in popular shows that are currently airing. He had gotten him _auditions_ for those said roles. Sebastian had either flat out told him no and not even bothered to read the script, or didn’t even want to go to the auditions because he felt like the parts are too small for him. 

“ _Sebastian!_ ” Blaine hates raising his voice, but he’s had enough. “You are a newcomer in this town! You need to be seen first before getting lead roles. Show the casting directors and producers what you can do with these smaller roles. Start building a fan base. No role is a small role.” Blaine leans forward in his chair and puts his elbows on his desk. “Did you ever stop and think that one of these small roles can lead you to something bigger and better?” 

Sebastian looks at Blaine unimpressed. 

Blaine sighs before pulling out the script for Arrow’s Episode 208, _The Scientist_. “Look, this episode for Arrow, is centered around the character you are auditioning for. It may be a guest appearance but it’s not a small role. Did you even read the script? Did you know that the part you’re going in for is for _Barry Allen_?” 

Sebastian shrugs. “Am I supposed to know who that is? Who the hell is Barry Allen?” 

“Who the...” Blaine looks at his client incredulously before he practically yells, “he is the _freaking_ FLASH!” 

From across the room, Kurt sniggers softly and bites his bottom lip to control his laughter. 

Blaine glances at his friend and gives him a slight glare before turning back to his idiot client. “Did you not read any comic books when you were a kid? Aren’t you familiar with the DC universe at all?” 

Sebastian rolls his eyes. “No, we can’t all be _nerds_ like you, Blaine. God, you’re lucky you are gorgeous!” 

Blaine sighs, not having the energy to comment on Sebastian’s yet another pass he’s making towards him. “Barry Allen becomes the Flash. The fastest man alive. He is one of the most popular superheroes in the comic book world. The fact that they are introducing this character in Arrow means that they have bigger plans for the future. Plus, it’s not just one episode. It’s back to back episodes of character introduction. It’s their way of testing out the fan response. This could lead to a pilot! Your own show!” 

Sebastian still doesn’t look thrilled. Blaine pushes the script towards his client. “You are reading the script today. Auditions are tomorrow, and you are going to be there. I’m going to be at your house tomorrow morning at 8 am sharp. I am dragging your ass out of bed and driving you to the audition. If you refuse, _we_ , CAA, are firing _you!_ ” Blaine tells him firmly. He’s not letting Sebastian play games anymore. 

“Good luck trying to find an agency who is going to put up with your arrogant, ungrateful attitude. Are we clear?” Blaine glares at Sebastian who looks a bit scared and aroused at the same time. 

“Crystal.” Sebastian replies before grabbing the script and standing up to leave. 

“I am going to call you in about two hours to check up on you. You better be able to recite the lines from the script and tell me how you want to portray Barry and make it your own.” 

“I’ll look forward to your call.” Sebastian says with a wink before leaving. 

Blaine lets out a huge frustrated sigh and puts his face in his hands once Sebastian left. He needs a minute to breathe and calm himself down. Dealing with Sebastian is exhausting. From the corner of his eye, he sees a mug of coffee being placed on his desk. He looks up to see Kurt smiling at him. His mood immediately lifts up and he smiles at Kurt. 

“Looks like you needed it.” Kurt tells him gesturing towards the coffee mug. 

Blaine grabs the coffee mug and takes a sip before letting out a blissful sigh. “Mmmm... I really did.” He places the mug back on the desk. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” 

“You have no idea how much this helps. My day is made.” Blaine beams up at Kurt as he takes another sip of coffee that Kurt has made for him. 

Kurt rolls his eyes fondly. “It’s just a cup of coffee, Blaine.” 

Blaine reaches over and puts his hand on top of Kurt’s. “It’s not.” he replies softly, looking dreamily into Kurt’s mesmerizing blue eyes. 

Kurt sits there, on the ledge of Blaine’s desk, unable to look away from Blaine’s gaze until Cooper yells out, “Blaine! Get in here!” 

Kurt jumps slightly and pulls his hand back, blushing as he gets up to walk back over to his own desk. 

Blaine quickly finishes his coffee before walking into his brother’s office. 

“Close the door.” Cooper says from his desk and Blaine knows he’s in trouble. 

Blaine closes the door behind him and sits down in a chair in front of Cooper’s desk. “What’s going on?” 

“You tell me. What the hell was that?” Cooper asks his brother. 

“Sebastian? I’m sorry, Coop, but I had to threaten to drop him otherwise he won’t take this seriously! It’s a good part for him and it can take him to something better. I know it!” Blaine defends himself. 

Cooper puts his hand up. “No, I wasn’t talking about Sebastian, the spoiled brat. I’m glad you told him off. You handled that very well, actually; and I’m proud of you.” 

“Oh. Thanks.” 

“Don’t thank me yet. What the hell were you doing with Kurt?” 

Blaine gulps as Cooper stares him down with his piercing blue eyes. He looks so much like their dad when he does that and Blaine feels like he’s 15 years old getting in trouble for sneaking out of the house. 

“Nothing. We were just talking.” 

“You were practically fucking with your eyes!” Cooper responds. “Don’t try to lie to me. I know what I saw.” 

Blaine frowns. “Am I that obvious?” 

“ _Yes!_ ” 

“I can’t help it, ok? He’s just so...” Blaine looks over at Kurt through the glass wall of Cooper’s office. “You said it’s ok to be friends with him. Well, in the past month, we became really good friends. We have so much in common, Coop. He loves musical theater, and fashion, and we can talk about an issue of Vogue from cover to cover. We never run out of things to talk about. He knows exactly what to say or do to make my day better. Every day, I fall a little bit more in love with him.” Blaine says staring at Kurt longingly. 

Cooper sighs. “I told you, he’s off limits. Do you know how hard it is to find good help in this town? I don’t want either of you to get hurt, but I really don’t want to lose Kurt as my assistant. He’s keeping this agency running smoothly. Without him, things will be in chaos. Plus, you are supposed to be focusing on work.” Cooper points at Blaine accusingly. 

“I _am!_ I already got Ella into three auditions since I started. She booked one already and waiting to hear back from the other two. One of which, is a lead role in a Netflix series. And If I can get Sebastian to get off his high horse and go to auditions, he’ll be booking jobs too.” 

“Yes, you have been doing a great job, Squirt. I want you to continue thriving. Need I remind you of Jake?” 

Blaine clenches his jaw. “No. I don’t need a reminder, thanks.” 

Cooper gives his brother a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry I brought him up.” 

Blaine shrugs. “It’s fine. He’s nothing but a distant memory, but Kurt is different.” 

Cooper sighs. 

“But it’s not like he’s available. He’s got _Adam_.” Blaine makes a disgusted face. 

Blaine had met Adam a few times now. Once when he went with Kurt to see Anastasia and the other times when Adam came over to the office to take Kurt out for lunch. To say Blaine doesn’t like Adam would be an understatement. Not only he gets to call Kurt his, Adam has a tendency to take control of Kurt’s life. From what Blaine can see, the man makes decisions for Kurt. He noticed it the first time he met Adam. The three of them went out to a bar after the show and Adam ordered everything for Kurt without asking what Kurt wanted. Kurt just smiled and let Adam made decisions for him on what he should drink and eat. Finally, after their third round, Blaine wanted soda to sober himself up and asked what Kurt wanted. When Kurt had told Blaine, he would like a coke, Adam jumped in to say, no and convinced Kurt to have another martini. Blaine shook his head and went to the bar. He got Kurt the martini _and_ a coke, which Kurt accepts with a grateful smile. Ever since then, Blaine’s dislike for Adam grows each day. 

Cooper scoffs. “That British non-actor? I wouldn’t worry about him, little brother.” 

Blaine looks at his brother solemnly. “They’ve been together for almost a year! Kurt loves him. He’s told me so, multiple times.” 

“He’s not the hero in this story. No Broadway actor is.” 

Blaine rolls his eyes. “You just don’t like him because he wouldn’t sign with CAA.” 

“No, little brother. _I_ wouldn’t sign him to CAA. He’s not a serious actor. Who comes to LA to do theater? Broadway is dead. Theater is lame.” 

Blaine bursts out laughing. “Seriously, Coop?” 

“You know who does Broadway? Actors who can’t make it out in Hollywood. Adam Crawford is not even a has-been. He never was!” 

Blaine chuckles and shakes his head. 

“Anyway, as I was saying, Adam is not the hero here. He’s just a speed bump. Just like you getting your career started and not getting distracted with relationships is just a speed bump before you can cruise down the romance lane with Kurt.” 

“You sound so sure.” Blaine tells his brother, because right now, he’s pretty sure he’s got himself settled in the friend zone. 

“I know these things. You think I don’t notice the looks Kurt gives to Sebastian, behind his back whenever that brat would make a pass at you?” 

Blaine’s eyes sparkle with hope. 

“Trust me, Blaine. Kurt doesn’t like Sebastian and it’s not because he’s an annoying, pompous ass. I know jealousy when I see it.” Cooper finishes, glancing over at his assistant. 

“But you still don’t want me to pursue Kurt, right?” Blaine asks dejectedly. 

“Not while he’s in a relationship with someone. You don’t want to be the reason they break up. Kurt needs to see it for himself what a controlling little sissy his boyfriend is. And _you_ ” Cooper points at Blaine. 

“Should be focusing on work. I know.” Blaine finishes for his brother. 

“Right.” Cooper nods. “Now, get out of here. I expect a full report from you after Sebastian’s audition tomorrow.” 

“You got it!” Blaine says before leaving Cooper’s office. 

He stops by Kurt’s desk on the way out. “Lunch at Jerry’s? My treat.” He leans down to whisper in Kurt’s ear. 

Kurt smiles and turns to look at Blaine. “One whole hour of spending time with you over yummy food instead of reading synopsis after synopsis of scripts. How could I say no?” 

Blaine smiles brightly. “Great!” 

Kurt gets up to grab his keys and wallet when his phone extension beeps and Cooper’s voice comes in. “Get me a pastrami sandwich with blood orange lemonade and put it on the company tab.” 

Kurt smiles and looks over at his boss. “You got it!” 

“Ok, how could he possible hear where we were going?” Blaine asks Kurt as they walk together to the elevator. 

“He’s Cooper. He just knows.” Kurt simply replies and Blaine hopes Kurt is right. That Cooper just knows about these things. That Cooper is right about Adam. That one day, Kurt will see Adam for who he is. Until then, he’d happily be Kurt’s friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos, and commenting on the first chapter. 
> 
> I had to add in the Flash story line for Sebastian. I couldn't help myself.


	3. Three

Kurt walks over to Blaine’s desk holding a cup of coffee and a plate of his homemade blueberry muffin. It’s still early in the morning when the office isn’t filled with agents and clients yet. Kurt is always the first one at the office so he can get everything sorted and organized for all the Junior Agents including Cooper’s schedule. Senior Agents have their own assistants, so Kurt is not responsible for helping them. 

Kurt usually makes coffee for both him and Blaine in the morning when he arrives. Blaine has been coming in early and Kurt enjoys hanging out with Blaine over their morning coffee before the hustle and bustle of the office begins about an hour later. It’s been so nice to have Blaine as a friend. Before Blaine joined CAA, Kurt didn’t have a friend at work. At least not the kind that he considered to be a confidant, who he feels safe to share secrets and dreams with. 

Blaine makes him feel safe, even from the first moment they met. Kurt told him his life story when it normally takes him a few months to open up to people he meets. It’s hard to find good friends in this town. Everyone is climbing to the top and they will do whatever it takes to get there even if it means stabbing friends in their backs. But Blaine is different. Kurt can feel it in his bones that he is safe with Blaine, that Blaine will never do anything to hurt him. Kurt can honestly say that meeting Blaine was the best thing that has ever happened to him, aside from meeting his boyfriend, Adam, of course. 

“I come baring gifts.” Kurt says as he places the coffee mug and plate of muffin on Blaine’s desk. “Oven fresh blueberry muffin, and your coffee.” 

“Thank you!” Blaine says with a smile before grabbing the muffin and taking a bite. “Oh my God, this is so good! Where did you get this from?” He asks wiping his mouth with a napkin. 

“From my kitchen.” Kurt replies as he settles in on one of the chairs in front of Blaine’s desk. 

“ _You_ made this?” 

“Yup!” 

“Just when I thought I couldn’t love you any more than I already do...” Blaine says looking a little awestruck, taking Kurt by surprise. 

Kurt’s intake of breath causes Blaine to realize what he had just blurted out. He looks up at Kurt to find him staring at him with wide eyes. 

“Um...” Blaine coughs trying to find a way to cover up what he had just admitted. He tries not look at Kurt as he struggles to take the words back, but he couldn’t. He never wants to take them back. When he finally looks back at Kurt, his friend is looking at him with an amused smile. 

“You know, you look very endearing when you’re nervous.” Kurt says with a smile, without an ounce of anger or awkwardness, which puts Blaine at ease. 

Blaine shrugs with a lopsided smile. “I’ve been told I have no filter.” 

“Well, I think it’s refreshing. Not a lot of men show their emotions. It’s good that you’re not afraid to do so.” Kurt replies kindly, and Blaine looks down at his coffee mug with a shy smile. “Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you.” 

Blaine looks up at Kurt, intrigued. “What can I do for you?” 

“I bought a new drafting table. I figured I should get a nice table where I can draw my sketches instead of just sitting on a couch in front of the TV and holding my sketchbook in my hand.” 

“That’s great, Kurt! I’m glad you’ve been sketching a lot lately. From what you’ve shown me, I think you’re really talented.” 

Kurt shrugs. “Thanks. Well, I was talking to my dad recently and he encouraged me to not give up on my designer dream even though I have this very well paid, cushiony job. I think having a nice workspace would get my creative ideas flowing and get me inspried. Sooo... since it’s Friday, I was wondering if you would like to come over tonight after work and help me put the table together?” Kurt asks before biting his bottom lip and looking at Blaine with doe eyes. Blaine is powerless to refuse even if he wanted to. 

“Of course!” 

Kurt smiles wide and does a little bounce in his chair excitedly. “Great! And for helping me put the table together, I will cook dinner tonight. You like chicken enchiladas, right?” 

Blaine reaches over and places his hand on top of Kurt’s on his desk. “You don’t have to bribe me, Kurt. I’d do anything for you.” 

Kurt gives him one of his heart-stopping smiles and Blaine is done for. 

“Thanks, Blaine. You’re a great friend.” 

And just like that, Blaine is reminded that he is in the friend zone. He is pretty much the mayor of friend zone at this point. He forces a smile and tells Kurt, “No problem. That’s what _friends_ are for, right?” 

Kurt pauses as he studies Blaine for a bit. “Right.” 

\------------- 

After work, Blaine goes home to shower and change before heading over to Kurt’s place. This is the first time Blaine has ever been to Kurt’s apartment. It’s actually a loft, that is decorated like it’s in an Architectual Digest. It’s no surprise that Kurt has a great fashion sense, but he also has a great taste in interior design. 

Kurt had turned his Silverlake loft into a Parisian chic mixed with urban hipster vibe Sancturary. He thinks about his own apartment that is still bare and need furniture and décor to make it homey. 

“Your place is amazing! I’m gonna need you to help me decorate my place.” Blaine says as he admires the place. 

“I’ll be happy to!” Kurt replies excitedly. “I’ll take you to flea markets where we can find some furniture pieces. We can make a weekend out of it!” 

_A whole weekend to spend with Kurt?_

Sign him up! 

“I’d love that!” 

“Dinner is just about ready. Let’s eat first before we tackle the table.” Kurt suggests as he walks over to the oven to take out the chicken enchiladas. 

“It smells so good in here!” Blaine comments. “I’ll pour the wine. Where do you keep the glasses?” 

Kurt points to one of the open shelves on the wall where he stores the wine glasses. “What kind did you bring?” 

“Bordeaux.” Blaine replies as he pulls the cork open from the bottle. 

“It’s my favorite!” Kurt says as he dishes the enchiladas onto dinner plates. “I can’t wait to go to France one day and actually visit one of the vineyards in Bordeaux.” 

“Me too! I want to go on a winery tour and just eat cheese and drink wine all day.” 

“Too bad Adam has no interest in visiting France. He’s been there too many times as a kid on family holidays. I guess I’ll just have to put France on the back burner for now.” Kurt replies and the happiness and excitement Blaine was feeling dissipate into sadness. 

_Adam. Right. The boyfriend._

“I think France is always a good idea, no matter how many times you’ve been there.” Blaine replies as they both sit down at Kurt’s dining table. Blaine studies Kurt before asking, “So, where is Adam tonight anyway? Isn’t helping put a furniture together something a boyfriend would do?” 

The second he said it, Blaine regrets it. 

Kurt’s face falls immediately. “He has a show tonight, otherwise he’d be here.” 

_Instead of you._

Kurt doesn’t say it but Blaine can feel it. The atmosphere is changed suddenly and Blaine hates himself for not having a filter. He closes his eyes before looking at Kurt apologetically. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“If you don’t want to help...” Kurt begins, not looking at Blaine. 

Blaine immediately reaches over to hold Kurt’s hand, which is resting on the table. “I _want_ to. I meant what I said this morning. I would do _anything_ for you.” He squeezes Kurt’s hand. “You’re... very important to me. You’re my best friend, Kurt.” 

Kurt smiles at that. He turns his hand over to hold Blaine’s hand. “You’re mine too.” 

They hold hands and stare into each other’s eyes with smiles on their faces for way too longer than what is acceptable for two friends with platonic relationship. 

“I’m sorry for being an ass. Forgive me?” Blaine asks, breaking the silence. 

“Help me build that table and you’re forgiven.” Kurt replies. 

“Deal.” 

\-------------- 

After dinner, they bring their wine glasses to the corner of the loft where Kurt wanted the drafting table to go. They begin to take the pieces out of the box to start building the table. 

“So, is Sebastian thrilled about getting to play _The Flash_?” Kurt asks. 

“Ah, he’s not _The Flash_ yet.” 

“My mistake. Barry Allen.” Kurt replies with a smirk. 

Blaine chuckles. “Yeah, I guess so. As annoying as Sebastian is, he is a very talented actor. He made me believe that he actually is a nice guy who can show vulnerability. Of course, he got the part.” 

Kurt scoffs. “He really must be a good actor then, because there is _nothing_ nice about Sebastian Smythe.” 

Blaine narrows his eyes at Kurt. “You don’t like him very much, do you?” 

“And you do? Have you met the guy?” Kurt retorts and Blaine rolls his eyes. “He’s arrogant, sleazy, and inappropriate. He hits on you every chance he gets! It’s like... take the hint. You’re not interested in him.” 

“What if I am?” Blaine asks, curious to see how Kurt would respond. 

Kurt looks at him confused. “What?” 

“Sebastian.” Blaine nods. “What if I _am_ interested in dating him?” 

Kurt looks at Blaine incredulously before letting out a huff. “Are you kidding?” 

“Why not? He’s very handsome.” 

“He has giant horse teeth.” Kurt replies. 

“He’s into me.” 

“He’s into everyone with a penis.” Kurt says rolling his eyes. 

“He’s knows how to have fun.” 

“He probably has a lot of STD’s.” Kurt says and Blaine bursts out laughing. 

“ _Kurt!_ ” 

Kurt looks up at him from beneath his eyelashes. “What?” 

“Do you not want me to date Sebastian?” 

“You _really_ want to date Sebastian?” Kurt asks looking offended and upset. 

“Don’t answer my question with a question.” Blaine says with a chuckle and Kurt sighs. 

“I just... I think you can do better than Sebastian Smythe.” 

Blaine looks at Kurt, trying not to show his vulnerability but failing. “Yeah well, it’s not like I have guys knocking on my door wanting to be with me.” 

Kurt shakes his head. “You don’t have to resort to... _him!_ Sebastian just wants to sleep with you. You deserve someone who is going to treat you with respect and love.” 

“So, do you.” 

Kurt gives him a look. “What is that mean?” 

“Adam isn’t exactly boyfriend of the year.” Blaine answers and Kurt’s mouth falls open. 

_Again, no filter._

“You don’t know him.” Kurt defends immediately. 

“I’ve seen the way he treats you, Kurt. Tell me, have you ever ordered anything you like when you two go out for dinner?” Blaine asks. “What about dates? Do you guys ever do anything you want to do or does he make all the decisions for you?” 

Kurt is seething now. His face is red, not just from the wine they’ve been drinking but fueled by the anger he’s feeling towards his friend. 

“You told me earlier that you’ve always wanted to go to France, but you chalked it up as it’s something not plausible because Adam has no interest in going. Do you ever get a say in anything?” Blaine presses on. 

“How _dare_ you?” Kurt says lowly, trying to keep his anger in check but he’s about ready to cry and he doesn’t want to give Blaine the satisfaction of knowing that what Blaine said is true. 

“You don’t know anything about Adam, about _us_. You don’t get to judge my relationship when you don’t even have one of your own!” Kurt says furiously with tears in his eyes. 

Blaine clenches his jaw. “I may not be in a relationship now, but I’ve been someone’s boyfriend before. You don’t treat your boyfriend like a piece of property that you own.” 

“Adam doesn’t treat me like a piece of property!” Kurt yells back. 

“Oh yeah? Could have fooled me. I guess he really is a good actor.” 

Kurt stands up. “I think you should go.” 

“Fine!” Blaine yells back, getting angry, but mostly hurt. 

_Why can’t Kurt see it? Why can’t he see that, Adam is controlling?_

“ _Fine!_ ” Kurt replies, swinging the door open for Blaine. “I don’t need your help! My _boyfriend_ would help me.” 

Blaine scoffs, on a brink of tears. “Good luck with that!” 

And then the door is slammed in his face and Blaine is left all alone in the hallway. It’s not until he is driving home that he lets his tears fall. This evening started out with so much promise. How did it all go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.  
> I love reading your comments and seeing kudos appear on this story.  
> I cannot thank you enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	4. Four

Monday morning finally comes around for Blaine after a long weekend of feeling regret and sadness. This was their first fight and Blaine hated it. He hates fighting with Kurt. He blames himself for the fight, and he’s prepared to apologize and make amends with Kurt on Monday. They always have the first hour at the office to themselves. He will apologize and tell Kurt that he will be a supportive friend and not judge his relationship. If his friendship is what Kurt wants from him, then he would be the best friend he could be to Kurt. 

Blaine picks up a bouquet of red and yellow roses on the way to the office. Flowers that symbolize his love and friendship for Kurt. He would apologize and they would enjoy their morning coffee over celebrity gossip and they would be back to being Kurt and Blaine. 

However, when Blaine arrives at the office, Kurt is nowhere to be found. His computer is still shut off, meaning Kurt hasn’t even arrived yet. Blaine puts the flowers in a vase that he found in the office kitchen and places it on Kurt’s desk with a note.

#### Kurt,

#### I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.

#### Love,

#### Blaine

Blaine makes coffee for himself and Kurt, then he waits. He checks his emails. He reads scripts. The office begins to buzz with activity as his colleagues begin to arrive, and Blaine looks over at Kurt’s still empty desk with a heavy heart. 

“Morning Kurt! Can you please get David Fincher on the phone?” Cooper says as he walks into the office without even look up from his iPhone. As he walks pass Kurt’s desk, Cooper looks up and stops in his track. He looks at Kurt’s empty desk and then looks around the office. His eyes land on Blaine, who stares back at him with concern. Cooper raises his eyebrow in question and his brother just shrug. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m late Cooper. It won’t happen again.” Kurt rushes in apologizing to his boss. 

Cooper smiles at his assistant. Grateful to have him at the office. “No problem. I was just about to call National Guard. You’re never late.” 

“I slept through my alarm. It won’t happen again. I’ll get your coffee and your schedule ready in 10 minutes.” Kurt replies as he sits down at his desk. 

“Ok, no problem. Once you have the schedule done, can you get David Fincher on the phone for me?” Cooper asks eyeing the flowers on Kurt’s desk and somewhat disheveled hair and slightly darken circles under his eyes. He turns to look at his brother one more time before walking into his office. “Thanks, Kurt!” 

Kurt sighs and turns his computer on, and a vase of flowers on his desk catches his attention. He picks up the note from the flowers and does his best not to look over at Blaine. Kurt hated their fight. He never imagined that fighting with a friend would hurt this much. What Blaine had said, hurt him. He thought Blaine was his friend. Friends support each other no matter what, right? Why was Blaine talking shit about his boyfriend? The person Kurt loves. Kurt knows Adam isn’t perfect. Who is? And their relationship isn’t perfect either. Again, what relationship doesn’t have issues? But you work through them and make it work because you love each other. Why can’t Blaine understand that? 

“Kurt.” 

Kurt looks up to find Blaine standing at his desk looking at him with sad eyes. 

“I want to...” 

“I’m busy.” Kurt replies, not wanting to talk to Blaine. Flowers and a I’m sorry note are not going to just make everything better. He’s still upset about it, and he’s not ready to talk to Blaine yet. 

“Kurt, please...” Blaine begs. Kurt obviously looks upset and it kills Blaine to see him this way, mostly because he is to blame for Kurt being upset. 

“Thank you for the flowers, but I’m still upset with you and I don’t want to do this here.” Kurt tells him stoically before standing up. “I gotta go make coffee for Cooper and catch up on work.” He says before walking towards the office kitchen. 

“Ok.” Blaine mumbles before walking back to his desk. He grabs his keys and puts the script he was reading into his bag. He has a meeting with one of the producers at Warner Brothers at 10 am. He might as well head out now and kill time reading the script in his car. 

He walks over to Cooper’s office and knocks on the glass wall. “Hey Coop, I’m heading out to a meeting at Warner. I’ll be back after lunch.” 

“Ok, good luck!” Cooper calls out and wave him off. 

Blaine looks into the kitchen for a glimpse of Kurt before leaving the office. Why does this feel so much more painful than any other fights he has ever gotten into with friends? Blaine feels like he’s losing his best friend and all he can do now is to wait it out. 

\----------- 

Cooper has been studying Kurt all morning. He’s been making little mistakes here and there. He hung up on David Fincher by accident when transferring the call into Cooper’s office. He left out one of Cooper’s appointments on the schedule by mistake. They didn’t know until the diva herself, Rachel Berry, showed up to the office for the appointment and got upset that her usual almond milk latte wasn’t ready and waiting for her. 

After Rachel left, Cooper decides to call Kurt in for a meeting to find out what is going on. He’s been working with Kurt for over a year and he has never seen his assistant make mistakes like this. 

“Kurt, can you come in here please?” Cooper calls Kurt through his phone intercom. 

Kurt walks in seconds later. 

“Close the door and have a seat.” 

“I’m sorry.” Kurt says as soon as he sits down. “I know I've been screwing up a lot today. I’ll do better. I promise.” 

Cooper puts his hand up to stop Kurt. “Kurt, I know you’ll do better. You have done better. I didn’t call you in her to yell at you.” 

Kurt visibly relaxes and Cooper continues. 

“I called you in here to find out if you are ok. You’re not yourself. You look like you didn’t sleep well. There are flowers on your desk. Are you having problems with your boyfriend?” 

“No, no. Adam and I are fine.” Kurt hurries to explain. “I just had a bad weekend. Got into an argument with a friend. I shouldn’t have let it affect my work and I apologize for that.” 

Cooper studies Kurt for any sign of dishonesty and he doesn’t find one. “Ok... I just want to make sure you’re ok. You know you can talk to me if you are having any kind of problem in your life.” 

Kurt gives his boss a small smile. “Thank you, Coop. It really means a lot. And yes, I’m ok. I’ll be ok.” 

“It must have been one hell of an argument with your friend.” Cooper says still studying Kurt. “You usually never let anything affect your work.” 

Kurt looks down at his hands in his lap. “It was... I’m still trying to figure out why it upset me as much as it did.” 

Cooper continues to study Kurt and he can tell the Kurt is still upset over the argument he had with his friend. “Tell you what? Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?” 

Kurt snaps his head up to look at his boss. “Oh no. I don’t need a day off. I still have a pile of work to catch up on. And the phone...” 

Cooper waves him off. “I’ll get one of the other assistants to fill in for the rest of the day. Go home and relax. Get some rest. Maybe talk to your friend and try to work things out. I want you to come back tomorrow morning refreshed and happy. Not tired and sad.” 

“Ok. If you’re sure...” 

“I’m sure. Go home. Take some time for yourself.” Cooper assures him and practically pushes him out of his office. 

Kurt gathers his stuff and leaves the office. He contemplates taking the flowers home, but decides not to. He wants to go home to relax and not think about Blaine. If he takes the flowers home, he can’t help but be thinking about Blaine and their flight. He would go home, take a warm bath to relax and maybe take a nap. Since it’s Monday, Adam doesn’t have a show so maybe they can go out to dinner and have a date night. 

Kurt sends off a text to his boyfriend once he gets in his car. 

_Cooper gave me the rest of the day off. Wanna come over and have a date night?_ ” 

Adam responds right away with _Yes._ and a red emoji heart. 

Kurt smiles as he drives home. His bad day just turned into a good one. 

\----------- 

When Blaine returns to the office after lunch, he sees Chandler Kiehl, Will Schuester’s assistant, sitting at Kurt’s desk. Blaine frowns as he watches Chandler types on _Kurt’s_ keyboard, answers _Kurt’s_ phone, and _did he just touch Kurt’s FLOWERS?_

Blaine glares at Chandler before he marches into his brother’s office and closes the door shut. 

“COOP!” 

“Oh, hey Squirt! How was the meeting at Warner?” Cooper asks casually glancing over at Blaine from looking at his computer screen. 

“Why is that annoying Chandler sitting at Kurt’s desk? Where’s Kurt?” 

Cooper looks bewildered. “I... sent him home.” 

Blaine drops into a chair in front of Cooper’s desk. “Is he ok?” 

“I hope he would be after he gets the rest of the day off to relax and get some rest.” Cooper replies as he studies his brother carefully. “He wasn’t his usual self today, making mistakes that he’s never made before even as a new employee. He told me he got into an argument with a friend. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” 

Blaine looks away from his brother’s piercing gaze guiltily. “We may have gotten into a fight on Friday night.” 

Cooper sighs and puts his fingers on his temples to massage them. “Blaine...” 

“It was a stupid fight and I take responsibility for it. I tried to apologize to him today. I got him flowers...” 

“ _Those_ are from you?” Cooper asks. “I thought he and Dr. Who got into a fight and that those are I’m sorry flowers from him.” 

“Well, they are I’m sorry flowers from me.” Blaine replies, looking over at the flowers on Kurt’s desk. Chandler is happily typing away. 

“What did you fight about anyway? From the way Kurt looked, it was as if he was going through a breakup. I told you, Blaine. I told you to leave him alone. Now, you’ve upset him to a point that it’s affecting his work.” Cooper glares at his brother. 

“I’m sorry, Coop! I just...” Blaine groans frustrated. “I wanted him to see that his boyfriend is controlling and that he deserves so much better than Adam.” 

“Are you kidding me, Blaine?” Cooper looks at him incredulously. “How many times do I have to tell you that Kurt needs to realize this on his own? Now, he’s going to see you as someone who’s petty and jealous.” 

Blaine sighs. “I know. I know I messed up.” 

“Well, you better fix it. I can’t stand that Chandler kid and if I have to have him fill in as my assistant for one more day, I am going to lose my mind. I don’t know how Will does it.” Cooper complains frowning at Chandler. 

“I’ll head over to Kurt’s place after work and apologize. I’ll make it right, Coop. I promise.” 

“Alright. Get out of here.” Cooper says just as Chandler’s voice comes in through the intercom. 

“Hi Cooper! I have the _fabulous_ Ms. Rachel Berry on line 2. Would you like me to _buzz_ her in?” Chandler says in a shrilly over enthusiastic voice. 

Cooper rolls his eyes and mouth “Kill me” to Blaine. Blaine bites his bottom lip to keep from laughing as he walks out of Cooper’s office. As Blaine walks back to his desk, he stops at Kurt’s desk to grab the vase of flowers, which Chandler turns to look. 

“Oh! Those are beautiful, don’t you think?” Chandler asks Blaine with a huge smile on his face. 

“Yes, they are.” Blaine places the vase of flowers on his desk and sits down. “I am going to keep them on my desk until Kurt comes back tomorrow.” 

“Oh, is he coming back tomorrow? I do hope whatever bug he has would be over by then. I wiped his whole desk down earlier before I sat down. Flu season is coming up, you know.” 

Blaine rolls his eyes. “Kurt is not contagious.” 

“I sure hope not! He is deliciously edible but I do _not_ want to get sick.” Chandler says before the phone rings, saving Blaine from having to reply to that inappropriate comment. 

\----------- 

After a relaxing hot bath, Kurt got ready for his date night with his boyfriend. He’s excited. It’s been a while since he and Adam go out on a date because of their conflicting schedules. Ever since Anastasia opened at the Pantages, weekends have been a solo affair for Kurt. 

Kurt picks out his outfit meticulously and coif up his hair. He looks at himself in the mirror and smiles. He can’t wait for Adam to see him and he can’t wait to go out on the town. He’s been craving Korean BBQ and since he knows Adam likes finer things in life, he found a K BBQ restaurant that is on the rooftop of NoMad hotel in downtown LA. It’s the best of both worlds. Fancy restaurant for Adam and the type of meal that Kurt wants. That’s what relationships are, right? A compromise. 

Kurt fixes his hair one last time as he hears the knock on the door. He rushes over to open it for Adam. 

“Wow, you look... dressed up.” Adam says as he walks into the loft. 

Kurt subconsciously brushes his hands over his outfit. “Um, yeah I wanted to look nice for our date night.” 

Adam immediately pulls Kurt into his arms. “Oh, baby you look gorgeous. I just thought it’s a bit too over dressed for just a chill night in at home.” 

Kurt stills immediately and pulls away from Adam’s embrace. “I thought we would go out tonight. There’s a Korean BBQ restaurant on the rooftop of NoMad hotel in downtown. The reviews are amazing. I heard it’s beautiful and we can see the view of the city from the top.” 

Adam frowns. “Is that the kind of place you have to cook your own food?” 

“Yes...” Kurt drawls as he completely steps out of Adam’s hold. “But that’s the fun of it!” 

“No thank you. Why would I go to a restaurant where I have to make my own food? Plus, I heard you always end up smelling like smoke from cooking it right at your table.” Adam says flopping down on the couch. 

“That only happens at smaller restaurants with not good enough ventilation. This is out on the rooftop. We’ll have fresh air and the food is said to be amazing! I know you love meat!” Kurt sits down next to Adam to try to convince him. 

Adam turns and cups Kurt’s face in his hand. “Can’t we just order food and hang out here? I just... I miss you, babe and I was hoping we can have a relaxing night in.” He leans into kiss Kurt’s neck. “Make love? We haven’t had sex in like a month.” 

Kurt closes his eyes and lets out a soft moan as Adam begins to suck on his neck. Normally, Kurt would just give in without argument because the truth is, he misses his boyfriend. Staying in and catching up on lost time with each other sounds amazing. They can always go out another night. But, tonight there is a voice inside his head that’s telling him to not give in. 

_Do you guys ever do anything you want to do or does he make all the decisions for you?_

A voice that sounds so much like Blaine. 

Kurt pushes Adam slightly and smiles. “We can still have sex tonight. Let’s go out to dinner first. I’ve been craving Korean BBQ.” 

Adam pulls Kurt into a kiss. “Well, I’ve been craving _you._ ” 

Kurt giggles and pushes him back. “I’m serious. Let’s go. I’m starving.” He says before getting up from the couch and straightening his clothes. 

Adam leans back on the couch with a sigh. “Traffic is going to be crazy going to downtown right now. Why are you so set on going out tonight?” 

Kurt looks at his boyfriend, and tries not to get mad. “I’m sorry if I wanted to go _out_ with my boyfriend, whom I haven’t seen much lately because of his show.” 

“You know, what you signed up for.” Adam replies accusingly. “You know what the show schedule is like. Why is this suddenly an issue now?” 

Kurt lets out a frustrated noise. “It’s _not_ an issue. I just want to make the best out of the time we have to be together!” 

“Me too!” Adam replies standing up. “God, I just want to fuck my boyfriend on my day off. Is that too much to ask?” 

Kurt’s mouth falls open and he clenches his jaw. “Be more vulgar, Adam. _God!_ What the hell is wrong with you?” 

“Nothing is wrong with me. What is wrong with _you_? Why are you being like this all of a sudden? We’ve been together for almost a year. You’re telling me I still need to wine and dine you before I can get inside you?” 

“Wow!” Kurt puts his hands to his head. “I _cannot_ believe what I’m hearing. Did you seriously just come over tonight to _fuck_ me?” Kurt asks, anger boiling inside his body. 

“What’s so wrong about that? You’re my boyfriend!” 

“Just because I’m your boyfriend, it doesn’t mean I’m just your plaything you can _fuck_ anytime you want!” Kurt yells with his voice breaking. Just as he’s about to tell Adam to leave, the doorbell rings. 

Kurt shakes his head at Adam and walks over to the door to open. As soon as he opens the door, there stand Blaine holding the vase of red and yellow roses from his desk. 

“Blaine.” 

“Can I come in?” 

“Now is not a good time.” 

“Who is it, babe?” Adam says as he walks over to the door and Blaine tenses up immediately. “Anderson. What are you doing here?” 

“I just came by to make sure Kurt is ok. He uh left early from work.” Blaine replies before looking over at Kurt, who looks a bit flushed, but still beautiful. 

“He’s fine. We were just on our way out for our date night.” Adam answers smugly. 

Kurt turns to look at his boyfriend. “We were?” He raises his eyebrow. “I thought you didn’t want to go out.” 

“None sense, babe.” 

Kurt folds his arms across his chest and square his jaw. “How interesting that you suddenly changed your mind when Blaine showed up.” 

Adam rolls his eyes. “Please!” 

“I think you should go.” Kurt tells his boyfriend and Blaine feels a tinge of pride swelling in his chest. 

“Babe! Come on!” 

Kurt shakes his head before turning to Blaine. “Do you mind waiting out here for a bit?” 

_I’ll wait for you forever._

Blaine nods. “No problem.” He steps to the side as the door closes. He leans back against the wall in the hallway as he hears muffled voices of Kurt and Adam. After about five minutes, the door opens again and Adam storms out. He doesn’t even look at Blaine as he walks down the hallway towards the elevator, looking upset. 

Blaine turns towards the door to find Kurt, standing there with a small smile on his face. “Hey.” 

“Hi. Come in.” 

Blaine walks inside and Kurt closes the door after him. He turns around and gives the flowers to Kurt. “These are for you. I wanted to give them to you personally this morning but you came in late and... I’m just... I’m so sorry Kurt. I was a complete Jerk! I shouldn’t have said those things to you. You’re my best friend and I should be supportive and I _am_! I just... I think you are amazing and you deserve to be treated well. Not that I’m judging your relationship...” Blaine rambles on, making Kurt smile. 

“Blaine!” Kurt says trying to get his friend to stop, but Blaine continues. 

“You were right, I shouldn’t be judging you when I’m not even in a relationship myself.” 

Kurt walks over and closes the distance between them. He wraps his arms around Blaine and hugs him close. Blaine melts into the hug and fits his face in the crook of Kurt’s neck. 

_Gosh, he smells good!_

“Thank you.” Kurt says when they pull away. “You were right. I need to start standing up for myself and you’re a great friend for telling me to do so.” Kurt says before gesturing to the couch for Blaine to sit. 

Blaine sits down and Kurt follows. “Are you ok? I feel like I interrupted something between you and Adam.” 

Kurt sighs. “I’ll be ok. Adam and I would work it out. I feel good, actually. I stood up for myself and it feels nice.” 

Blaine smiles. “I’m proud of you.” He squeezes Kurt’s hand, which is resting on the couch. “And I’m sorry again. Please forgive me? I hate that we fought.” 

“I hated it too.” Kurt replies. 

“And work was horrible today without you. Cooper got Chandler to fill in for you and he is just the worst!” Blaine blanches, making Kurt laughs. 

“Chandler’s not that bad. He’s a nice guy.” 

“He’s annoying!” Blaine says before looking at Kurt with pleading eyes. “Seriously, please tell me that we’re ok and that you’re coming back to work tomorrow, because if I had to do another day at work without you, I’ll blow my brains out.” 

Kurt chuckles. “So dramatic.” He squeezes Blaine’s hand. “Yes, we are ok and I’ll be back at the office tomorrow.” 

Blaine sighs happily. “Thank goodness!” He says before standing up to leave. “Well, I’ll get going. I just wanted to come apologize to you and that make sure you were ok.” 

Kurt stands up. “Have you had dinner yet?” 

“No, I came here straight from the office.” Blaine replies. 

Kurt twists his mouth in wonder. “How do you feel about Korean BBQ?” 

“Are you kidding? I love Korean BBQ! Cooper took me to have K BBQ my first week in LA. It’s the best thing ever!” Blaine replies excitedly. 

“Isn’t it?” Kurt says, feeling his heart lighter since last Friday. “I was thinking of going to this fancy one on the rooftop of NoMad in downtown, but my favorite K BBQ place is actually this hole in the wall restaurant in K Town. Wanna go?” 

“Yes, I’m starving actually.” Blaine eagerly agrees. 

“Me too. Let me just go change out of these fancy clothes.” Kurt says already walking towards his bedroom. 

“You don’t have to.” Blaine stops him. “I mean, you look great.” 

Kurt smiles warmly at him. “Thanks. But I don’t want this nice blazer to smell like smoke. I’ll just change into something more casual. Be right back.” 

Once Kurt is changed into a heather gray henly and a pair of jeans, they drive to Korean town in Blaine’s Prius while singing along to the Grease soundtrack. When they are seated at the restaurant, they grill their meat and eat while Blaine tells Kurt about his meeting at Warner Brothers. The restaurant is small and packed with people. It’s loud and Kurt is sure that he and Blaine will walk out of this restaurant smelling like barbeque. But, Kut is having the best time. It’s the most fun he’s had in a while, and a fight with his boyfriend can’t even get him down. 

Kurt leans back in his chair during dinner while he waits for the meat to cook and stares at Blaine, who is using tongs to flip the meat on the mini grill on their table. It’s been such a rollercoaster of emotions for Kurt over the past few days, but he feels like he can finally feel at peace now that things are right with Blaine again. 

Blaine looks up and Kurt and smiles. “What?” 

“Nothing.” Kurt shakes his head with a smile. “I’m really glad you came over tonight.” 

The smile that appears on Blaine’s face is so bright, it’s blinding. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the comments and kudos!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am a big K BBQ fan, so I had to add that in.


	5. Five

“Ok, who put all of my office supplies in jello?” Chandler asks angrily as he eyes all the assistants and Junior Agents in the open office space. 

Blaine and Kurt look at each other with amused smiles. 

The silence just makes Chandler gets angrier. He stomps his foot in frustration. “This is _not_ funny! I have very important calls to make today for Will, and my phone is in jello! _Very important calls!_ WITH TOM CRUISE!” 

Kurt bites down on his fist to keep from laughing out loud, while Blaine chokes on his coffee. 

Chandler narrows his eyes at them and huff. “I will be writing a letter of complaint to Cooper!” He says before turning around to go back to his desk. 

“Good luck typing an email with your keyboard in a jello.” Blaine says quietly enough for only Kurt to hear. 

Kurt bursts out laughing then. 

“Do you think we went too far? I kind of feel bad for the guy.” Kurt tells Blaine once he stops laughing. 

Blaine shakes his head. “Chandler? No way. He deserves it.” 

“Blaine!” Kurt says before giggling. 

Blaine smiles. “He does! He’s annoying and he thinks he’s superior to all of us. Just because he’s assistant of a top Senior Agent and he gets to talk to _Tom Cruise!_ He needs to be brought back to Earth now and again.” 

Kurt smiles and shakes his head. “Oh, did I tell you that my dad is coming to visit next week?” 

“Oh, that’s nice! You must be excited.” 

Kurt bounces a little in his chair. “I am! I haven’t seen him since last Christmas. So, I’m gonna take off work early on Thursday to pick him up from the airport and I’m taking Friday off too.” 

Blaine sighs dramatically. “Fine. Leave me all alone at the office for a day and a half.” Kurt rolls his eyes. “Seriously though, I’m glad you’re taking the time off to spend time with your dad. Do you have an itinerary planned?” 

“Yes! Thursday evening is just going to be a chill one. I want him to rest from the flight. I’m gonna take him to Malibu on Friday and have lunch somewhere near El Matador beach. Dodgers game later that day and...” 

Blaine puts his hands up. “Wait, wait, wait! Did you just say you’re going to a Dodgers game?” Blaine asks surprised. 

Kurt doesn’t look amused. “Yes.” 

“You know, they play baseball at a Dodgers game.” Blaine says and Kurt rolls his eyes. “It’s a sports game.” 

“Yes, _I know_ genius! Stop trying to man-explain to me. I’m not a fan of sports but my dad loves it so I’m taking him. Cooper got me the tickets.” Kurt explains. 

Blaine chuckles. “I was just messing with you. I’m sure your dad would enjoy the game.” 

“Anyway, we’ll go see Adam’s show on Saturday night and do farmer’s market on Sunday morning.” Kurt continues but Blaine doesn’t hear anything after Kurt said they were going to see Adam’s show. He had thought things were not going well between Kurt and Adam, especially after the fight he had witnessed earlier in the week. 

“Oh, so you and Adam... worked things out then?” Blaine asks cautiously. 

“Yeah. He came over the night after we had that fight and apologized. He actually took the night off from his show to take me out and he promised that he would do better at hearing me out in the future.” 

Blaine nods and looks away disappointed. 

“He’s trying, Blaine. I owe it to him to give it another shot.” Kurt says when he sees Blaine’s disappointed face. 

“You don’t owe him anything, Kurt.” Blaine tries. 

“He loves me.” Kurt says with conviction. 

“Does he?” 

“ _Yes._ ” Kurt grits through his teeth. 

“Do you?” Blaine asks and it sounds like a challenge. It's as if Blaine is questioning his feelings towards his own boyfriend. 

“I really don’t want to fight about this. Can we please just drop it?” 

“Fine.” Blaine replies even though Kurt knows he’s anything but _fine._

Kurt sighs and gets back to work. Hopefully Blaine will come around soon. He doesn’t want to continue fighting with his best friend about his boyfriend. 

\--------- 

Thursday rolls around and Kurt is having one of the busiest days at the office. Kurt had heard news about a certain A list actor leaving an agency that has been a rival of CAA for years. He told Cooper right away and they are now on a mission to get him to sign with CAA. Kurt had gotten Cooper a meeting with Leo DiCaprio after speaking with his manager. Cooper had been so proud that he wanted Kurt to go with him to the meeting to talk to Leo. 

The meeting turns out to be at a golf course and Kurt is finding out for the first time that 18-hole game of golf takes _hours_. He is supposed to leave work to go to the airport to pick up his dad at 1 pm. It is already 12:45 and they are barely on hole number 10. Cooper is so engrossed in the conversation with Leo and the game that Kurt doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he needs to go. His dad’s flight lands at LAX at 1:30 pm. With traffic, he won’t make it there in time. 

He starts texting Blaine in a frenzy. 

_Blaine! I NEED your help._

_I’m stuck in a golf game with Cooper and Leo. Do you think you can pick up my dad from the airport?_

_His flight lands at LAX at 1:30._

Kurt gets a response from Blaine not even a minute later. 

_Of course! No problem. I’m leaving the office now. Which airline and what is the flight number?_

Kurt lets out a sigh of relief as he responds back to Blaine, feeling utterly grateful for his best friend. 

_Delta. Flight number 2526. His name is Burt. You're a life saver! Thank you!_

“Kurt! Wanna take a swing at the next hole?” Cooper asks with a cheeky grin. 

Kurt slips his phone back in his pocket and smiles at his boss. “Sure.” 

“Get the contract ready to send over to his manager by the time we leave the course. We caught the golden snitch, Kurt and I have you to thank for it.” Cooper whispers in Kurt’s ear while Leo is getting onto his golf cart to start driving over to the next hole. 

Kurt smiles proudly. “No problem, Coop. All I did was get you the meeting. You’re the one who got Leo to sign with us.” 

Cooper claps Kurt’s shoulder. “You did more than that and you know it! I’m giving you the 50 percent of the signing bonus.” 

Kurt trips over his own foot at hearing this. “Cooper! I... I don’t know what to say.” 

Cooper smiles. “Say thank you, and just keep up the good work.” They get on the golf cart and Cooper starts driving to the next hole. 

\--------- 

Blaine holds a sheet of white paper with the words, _Mr. Hummel_ written in big bold letters, as he waits at baggage claim for Kurt’s dad. This is the first time he’s meeting Kurt’s dad and he’s nervous. For whatever reason, he wants to make a good impression. 

Blaine holds up the sign a bit higher as he sees passengers pile out of the door into the baggage claim area. He has seen Mr. Hummel’s pictures at Kurt’s house as well as on Kurt’s desk at work, so at least he knows who to look for in a crowd of passengers. The sign is really for Mr. Hummel’s benefit. 

After waiting for ten minutes, Blaine sees a stocky man in flannel and a baseball cap walking towards him. He recognizes the man right away. 

“Mr. Hummel?” 

Burt nods and shakes Blaine’s hand. “That’s me. I can’t believe Kurt sent a driver.” He says eyeing the sign in Blaine’s hand. 

“Oh! No, I’m not a driver. I mean, I _am_ driving you home, but I’m not a _driver_. I’m just helping Kurt out.” Blaine babbles as Burt looks at him amused. 

“Alright. I just thought you know... with the bowtie and all...” 

Blaine touches his bowtie subconsciously and looks down. 

“So, you the boyfriend?” Burt asks, making Blaine snaps his head up so fast, it gives him whiplash. 

“No. Uh, my name is Blaine. I work with Kurt at CAA. Here, let me get that for you, Mr. Hummel.” Blaine says grabbing the suitcase from Burt’s hand. 

Understanding dawns on Burt. “Ah... you’re the best friend.” Blaine smiles at that. “Nice to meet ya, kid. You can call me Burt.” 

They start walking out of the terminal. “Nice to meet you, too. Kurt’s told me a lot about you. He’s really excited to have you come visit.” 

“Yeah? So, how come he isn’t here? He told me he was picking me up, even though I told him multiple times that I could just take a taxi.” 

“Oh, Kurt really wants to pick you up. He got tied up at work last minute. He’s actually out with my brother, who is his boss, for a meeting with a potential client.” Blaine explains. 

Burt then pulls out his cell phone from his pants pocket and frowns. “I forgot to turn it back on. I’m sure he’s sent me messages about it.” When the phone turns on it pings with incoming messages. “Yup. There they are.” 

Blaine smiles as they reach his car. He’s loading Burt’s suitcase in the trunk when his phone rings. 

“Hey Kurt.” Blaine answers the phone and Burt looks at him. “Yes, he’s standing right next to me. Here you go.” 

Blaine hands the phone over to Burt. “Kurt wants to talk to you.” 

Burt takes the phone and Blaine opens the passenger door for him before he walks around to the driver side. “Hey kid! Sorry, I forgot to turn my phone back on after landing.” 

Blaine begins to drive as Burt talks to Kurt on the phone. After a few minutes, Burt hangs up the phone and hands it back to Blaine. 

“Kurt’s driving home too. He said he’d meet us there.” 

Blaine nods. “We should get there in about 30 minutes.” 

Burt glances over at Blaine. “It’s really nice of you to come pick me up. Helping Kurt out like that at last minute.” 

“Oh, no problem at all. I’ll do anything for Kurt.” Blaine responses reflexively. 

Burt hums and continues to study Blaine. “So, tell me about yourself. You said your brother is Kurt’s boss. What do you do at the agency?” 

“I’m a Junior Agent. I started a few months ago. I graduated from Harvard Business school back in June. My brother offered me this job and I took it. I met Kurt on my first day and we’ve been friends ever since.” 

“Fast friendship, huh? Kurt’s always saying you’re his best friend.” 

Blaine smiles fondly. “He’s mine too. We just... clicked. There was this instant connection.” 

“Yeah, I bet.” Burt mutters under his breath. Burt turns to look at Blaine. “So, you’ve always wanted to be a talent agent?” 

Blaine chuckles and shakes his head. “No. I’ve actually wanted to play pro baseball.” 

Burt raises his eyebrow. “Really?” 

“Yeah, I was pretty good at it too until I injured my wrist during my Freshmen year. It pretty much ended my dream of ever playing baseball at a pro level.” 

“Sorry to hear that.” 

Blaine shrugs. “Everything happens for a reason. If that incident didn’t happen and I ended up playing pro ball, I probably wouldn’t have ever met Kurt.” 

Burt smirks. “That would be a shame, now wouldn’t it?” 

Blaine smiles shyly. “He’s the most compassionate and generous person I know.” 

“Yeah, he got that from his mom.” 

“I am just blown away by him every day and I feel lucky to have him in my life.” Blaine confesses. 

Burt smiles. “I have a feeling Kurt feels the same way about you. I’m glad he’s got someone he can count on. I worry about him living here all by himself.” 

“You can count on me to always be there for Kurt.” Blaine promises and he’s never said truer words. 

Afterwards, their conversation turns to lighter topics until they reach Kurt’s apartment. Blaine carries Burt’s suitcase for him as they take the elevator up to the loft. 

“Dad!” Kurt says as he and Burt embrace each other tightly as soon as the door is opened. 

Blaine smiles and walks passed the pair to bring the suitcase into the loft. 

“It’s so good to see you, kid!” 

“You too! I’m so happy you’re here.” Kurt replies before turning to Blaine. “Any you, thanks so much for picking my dad up from the airport. I hope you didn’t have any meetings at work you had to get to.” 

Blaine did have a meeting, but it’s with Sebastian and he postponed it to later in the evening. Sebastain was more than happy to push it back to a dinner meeting, calling it a “date”. 

“Don’t worry about it. I just have one meeting with Sebastian today and it’s over dinner.” Blaine explains. 

Kurt frowns. “Of course. I’m sure he was just _thrilled_ to be getting a dinner date out of this meeting.” 

Blaine rolls his eyes fondly. “Kurt.” 

“He’s a sleaze ball.” 

“He’s harmless.” Blaine replies before reaching out to touch Kurt’s arm. “It’s just a business meeting. I promise.” 

Unbeknownst to Kurt and Blaine, Burt has been observing their conversation with a knowing smile. 

“Anyway, I should get back to the office. I’ll let you two catch up.” Blaine says before pulling Kurt in for a hug. 

“Why don’t you join us tomorrow for the baseball game, Blaine?” Burt asks when Blaine turns to shake his hand. 

“Oh! Um.” Taken by surprised, Blaine turns to look at Kurt. “I don’t want to intrude. It’s your time to spend together as a family.” 

“No, you should come.” Kurt answers. “That way, I won’t be completely bored at the game.” 

“Hey!” Burt says, nudging his son with his elbow. 

“Sorry Dad. You know I love you, but you also know how I feel about sports games.” Kurt replies, making Burt laughs. 

“Oh, I know it.” Burt says before turning to Blaine. “So, what do you say, Blaine? You're gonna join us tomorrow? Now that I know you’ve played; I would love to watch the game with you.” 

Blaine beams. “Thank you, Burt. It’s really kind of you to invite me. But I don’t know if there is a ticket available for me.” 

“Cooper gave me four tickets. If you come, we’ll still be left with an extra one.” Kurt answers. 

Burt puts his hand on Blaine’s shoulder. “It’s settled then. We’ll see you at the game tomorrow.” 

“Ok. See you tomorrow.” Blaine smiles. 

“You should just come by here after work tomorrow, Blaine. We’ll carpool. Traffic is going to be crazy as it is. No need to take two cars.” Kurt tells him as he walks Blaine to the door. “Thanks again for today, Blaine. Really.” 

Blaine smiles and touches Kurt’s arm. “Of course. You know I'll do anything for you.” 

Once Kurt closes the door after Blaine, he turns to see his dad giving him a look. 

“So, Blaine is...” 

“He’s my best friend.” Kurt answers. 

“Uh huh. I have one question.” 

“Dad...” Kurt warns. 

“Humor me a little, would ya?” Burt follows his son into the kitchen. “Why didn’t you ask Adam to come pick me up today? He’s your boyfriend. Why Blaine?” 

“That’s two questions.” Kurt tells his dad, who isn’t amused. Kurt sighs. He’s not getting out of this. “Because he was the first person I thought of to call. And I knew Blaine would help me out. I was in a bind and I needed someone I can count on to help me.” 

“Hmm... and Adam isn’t someone you can count on?” Burt folds his arms in front of his chest. 

“I didn’t say that, Dad.” 

“You implied it. 

“Dad!” 

Burt puts his hands up in defeat. “Ok, I just want to say one last thing.” Kurt gives him a _really?_ look. “You do know that Blaine’s crazy about you, right? I spent one car ride with him and figured it out. And don’t even try to deny your feelings towards him. I can see it.” 

Kurt looks down, embarrassed and guilty for what he’s about to say next. “He... he’s the right person at the wrong time.” 

“Why?” Burt pushes. “If he’s the right person...” 

“Because I'm with Adam. I made a commitment to Adam, way before I met Blaine.” Kurt replies, his voice breaking. 

_Why does it feel like he’s heartbroken all of a sudden?_

“You didn’t make a marriage vow, Kurt. From what you just told me, Adam, who is your boyfriend isn’t the right person for you.” 

“I... he could be. I do care about him so much and I love him, Dad. Shouldn’t I give us a chance to really try? And Blaine... I want to make sure that it’s not just an _idea_ of him that I’m falling for. Maybe it’s just his friendship that I love. Adam’s my first love. He drives me crazy most days, but I love that he can turn around and makes me fall in love with him all over again.” 

“Alright. Let me meet Adam and get to know him.” 

Kurt smiles gratefully and hugs his dad. “Thanks, Dad. I’m so glad to have you here.” 

“Me too, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and leaving comments. I love reading your feedback.


	6. Six

The weekend with his dad went by too fast for Kurt. He wishes he has more time to spend with his dad. He didn’t realize how much he misses his dad until he saw him last Thursday. They had a great weekend. Kurt knows that the highlight of the trip for his dad was the Dodgers game. Burt and Blaine got along so well, that they were best buddies by the end of the game. Kurt really shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone loves Blaine. He oozes charm and brightens any room that he walks in. Kurt was however surprised when his dad gave Blaine his phone number and told him to call whenever he wanted to talk about sports or had questions about cars. Kurt just wished that would happen with Adam. 

Nothing bad happened when his dad met Adam on Saturday before the show. The three of them went out for lunch at Katsuya, which is across the street from the Pantages. Adam had picked the restaurant and Kurt knows that his boyfriend likes finer things in life, but an upscale sushi restaurant isn’t something his dad enjoys. Burt would much rather have Shake Shack burgers down the street. But his dad smiled through lunch and asked Adam questions to get to know him. Kurt was grateful for that. Adam was a perfect gentleman and picked up the tab on dinner. 

Once Adam left them to go to the theater, Kurt asks his dad what he thought of his boyfriend. 

_“He sure is a fancy guy. Is it a British thing?”_

It wasn’t what Kurt had hoped to hear. So, Kurt told his dad that Adam is a nice guy. Burt just looks at him and asked, _“Does he make you happy?”_

Kurt responded with, _“Yeah, he can be really sweet most days. You just have to get to know him better.”_

_“You know how Carole makes me feel? She makes me feel so happy, I feel like singing from the rooftop. Every day, even when we’re upset with each other for some dumb reason. Your mom made me feel that way too. When you know, you know.”_

Kurt had replayed those words over and over in his head. Is he happy with Adam? Yes. Does he think he could be happier? Maybe. Kurt knows his dad wants what’s best for him and he wants him to be happy. He just wishes his dad was staying a bit longer, so he can really get to know Adam. 

Now as he stands in the middle of a busy airport terminal, he finds himself on a brink of tears, not wanting to say goodbye to his dad. 

“So, I’ll see you at Christmas?” Burt asks his son as he puts his boarding pass in his pants pocket. 

“Yeah. I’m planning on staying for two weeks. I already talked to Cooper about it.” Kurt replies. 

Burt nods. “Good. Carole misses you. She’d be thrilled.” 

“I miss her, too; and Finn. Although I get to see Finn more via FaceTime calls than I get to see Carole. I swear, he calls me whenever he has some cooking crisis. I’m surprised he hasn’t burned down his apartment yet.” Kurt says with an eye roll, making Burt laughs. 

“You know, Carole and I are so proud of both of you boys. Living your dreams out in big cities.” 

“Well, Finn is actually lucky enough to be actually doing what he’s always dreamed of. Me on the other hand... I’m in the city of dreams, but you know being an assistant isn’t my dream job.” 

“So, what are you doing about it? I saw those sketches on your drafting table. I don’t know much about fashion, but those drawings look damn good to me. Are you gonna do something with those or are they just going to collect dust on the table?” Burt presses. 

Kurt looks down nervously. “There are a few job listings I found through the alumni network at FIDM. For Junior Designer or Pattern Maker at big design houses.” 

“And...?” 

Kurt shrugs. “What if I’m not good enough?” 

Burt puts a hand on Kurt’s shoulder. “You never know until you tried. You can’t live your life being afraid of what if’s.” Kurt nods, sniffling. “I gotta go. You take care of yourself, alright?” Burt brings his son into a hug. “I love you, Kurt.” 

“Love you too, Dad. Have a safe flight.” 

“Don’t be afraid to follow your heart.” Burt says meaningfully, hoping his son would understand. 

Kurt nods and smiles. “Thanks, Dad.” 

Later that night, Kurt applies for three different design jobs. One of them is at Stella McCartney. He updated his resume and sent in his designs and hoped for the best. For the next few weeks, he tries to keep busy and distracted so that he wouldn’t be thinking about the reply email from his applications. He goes out with Adam whenever Adam doesn’t have a show. He works out. He goes on runs with Blaine at a park, which is located mid-point between both of their apartments. He helps Blaine decorate his apartment and they go shopping together. He doesn’t think about the emails that haven’t arrived in his inbox. 

Until, one morning, it arrives.

#### Careers at & Other Stories

The words stare back at Kurt from his phone screen. It’s an email from one of the design houses he applied for. He’s still in bed. He’s not sure if he’s dreaming or if he’s fully awake. He taps on the email to read the content. 

_Dear Mr. Hummel,  
Thank you for your interest in being a part of & Other Stories brand. We are very impressed with your designs and would like to get to know you more. We want to set up an interview to meet you in person and see if you would be a good fit for our brand. Please call Hilary Nichol at Human Resources at your earliest convenience to schedule an appointment for an interview. Hilary’s contact info is below. We look forward to meeting you. _

_Sincerely,_

_Miranda West  
Creative Director  
& Other Stories_

Kurt gets out of bed and screams YES before doing a happy dance. He can’t wait to get to work and tell Blaine about this good news. It’s still early in the morning, so Kurt decides to call after 9 am to Hilary to set up an interview. He gets ready for the day with an extra spring in his step and a giant grin on his face. 

When he gets to the office, he makes coffee for himself and Blaine per usual. Once Blaine shows up, he immediately notices Kurt’s smiling face. 

“Ok, there must have been a huge sale at Marc Jacobs or you won some auction for a rare designer find.” Blaine says as he sits down at his desk. 

“Better.” Kurt replies handing Blaine his coffee. 

“Ooooh, I’m intrigued.” 

“I got an interview at one of the design houses I applied.” Kurt says with a squeak. He can’t contain his excitement. 

Blaine gasps. “Oh my God, Kurt! That’s awesome! Which one?” 

“& Other Stories.” Kurt answers. “It’s not a big-name brand, but they are an international company and I’ve always liked their trendy designs as well as their classic pieces. I have to call an HR lady after 9 today to set up an interview time. The Creative Director emailed me saying they are impressed with my designs!” 

Blaine gets up and pulls Kurt into a hug. “I’m so proud of you!” 

Kurt closes his eyes and immerses himself in Blaine’s scent that is a combination of pine cones and citrus. “Thank you!” He says when they pull away. “And um... could you not tell anyone about this yet? Not even Cooper? I want to tell Cooper myself and I will tell him when there is something to tell. Who knows if I’ll even get the job?” 

Blaine reaches over and touches Kurt’s hand. “You’ll get it. But I won’t say anything. Coop’s gonna be pretty heartbroken and you should be the one to break it to him.” 

Kurt rolls his eyes. “Gee, thanks!” 

Blaine chuckles. “But honestly, I know he’d be happy for you. This is your dream, Kurt. What is the position you applied for?” 

“Junior Designer.” 

“That’s awesome! We gotta celebrate. Lunch is on me today.” Blaine says and Kurt laughs softly. 

“I haven’t gotten the job yet, Blaine. It’s just an interview.” 

“You got picked to be interviewed out of how many hundred applicants they might have received. I think it still calls for celebration.” Blaine replies with a smile, and Kurt smiles back. Who is he to argue when Blaine is smiling at him with so much pride? 

\----------- 

Kurt’s good mood is still going strong when he gets home later that day. He had called Hilary and scheduled an interview for the day after tomorrow. He would need to make sure that he takes care of a lot of the important stuff for Cooper tomorrow, so that when he comes in to the office after his interview the next day, he wouldn’t have a pile of work waiting on his desk. He thought of calling Adam and telling him about the interview, but at the last moment, decided not to. Why tell Adam when he doesn’t know if he would even get the job yet? He doesn’t want to give him a disappointed news if he doesn’t end up getting the job. 

\----------- 

The day of the interview, Kurt dresses himself impeccably. Blaine and his dad had already sent him good luck texts. He got his portfolio of designs, he feels confident. He’s ready. 

The interview goes well. Kurt already feels like he’s at home as soon as he walked into the building. He sees all the beautiful designs on display and seeing designers working on sketches or sewing up fabric. He instantly feels inspired. Something he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

Kurt gets the job offer at the end of his interview. It would be at their Los Angeles Atelier, but Kurt would need to spend a month each at their New York office, and Paris office in the beginning to meet with the teams at those offices and get to know the culture of the brand. He is beyond excited, even though the starting salary isn’t as much as what he’s currently getting paid at CAA. This is a good step in a right direction of where he wants his career to go. They told him they will email him his offer letter and to sign and respond by Monday morning at 9 am. 

Kurt drives over to Adam’s apartment right away to share the good news with his boyfriend. He took the morning off for his interview anyway, so he has until after lunch to get to the office. Maybe he and Adam can go have a celebratory lunch. 

“Babe! This is a surprise.” Adam says when he sees Kurt at his door. 

Kurt smiles and kisses his boyfriend before walking into the apartment. “Hi! I have great news to share with you.” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be at work?” Adam asks confused. He looks like he just rolled out of bed not too long ago. 

Kurt looks at his boyfriend. “Did you hear me? I have great news!” 

“Ok, what is your great news?” 

“I got a job offer at a design house. I’m going to be one of their Junior Designers!” Kurt says excitedly. “It’s at this company called, & Other Stories. They are an international brand and I’ll get to travel, Adam! I’ll be living in New York and Paris for a month each in the beginning before settling in at the LA office.” 

“Whoa! Whoa! Wait! You’ll be _living_ in New York and Paris?” Adam asks and Kurt’s excited smile slowly turns into a frown. 

“Yeah... they want me to get to know the company and learn their culture as well as work with the other designers in those offices.” Kurt explains. 

“So, you’re gonna leave me for two months. Don’t you think this is something you should discuss with me first?” Adam asks with annoyance. 

Kurt begins to feel heaviness in his chest as all of his happiness and excitement he was feeling dissipate into thin air. “I’m telling you this now.” He replies in a small voice.  
Adam scoffs. “After you got the job offer. I didn’t even know that you were looking for a new job, let alone you went to an interview! How much are they offering you?” 

“What?” Kurt asks, trying to comprehend. 

Adam sighs. “How _much_ money are they going to pay you at this new job?” 

“Sixty thousands.” Kurt replies. 

“You’re getting eighty thousands at CAA plus whatever bonuses Cooper gives you.” Adam says as if Kurt doesn’t already know. 

“You _know_ I’ve always wanted to be a designer. That’s what I went to school for. You know the job at CAA is not a long-term career path for me.” 

“Well maybe it should.” Adam says with annoyance. 

Kurt gapes at him. “What is that mean?” 

“It’s a damn well-paying job, Kurt. You’ll be stupid to give that up, just so you can doodle.” Adam replies and Kurt clenches his jaw. 

“You _know_ it’s my dream to be a designer, and yet you belittle this.” Kurt is hurt, more than angry. He couldn’t believe his own boyfriend would call his designs _doodles_. 

“I’m just trying to think about our future, here Kurt. One of us needs to be making good money at a steady job. I know a lot of my buddies in relationships who are both in creative careers and they would just be sitting at home together unemployed.” 

“And _I_ should be the one with a steady job with good salary, while you live your dream. Is that it?” Kurt says with tears forming in his eyes.

Adam moves closer and holds Kurt’s arms. “I’m saying you don’t have to take this first offer. Wait until something better comes along, or you can counter offer. Ask them to match your salary at CAA.” 

Kurt shakes his head and moves out of Adam’s hold. “I can’t do that, Adam. I’ll be asking twenty thousands more and no design house is going to offer that kind of money for a Junior Designer position.” 

“Maybe you should be a Senior Designer then.” 

Kurt rolls his eyes. “I can’t start as a Senior Designer without any experience. I have to work my way up and I really believe that this is a good stepping stone. I’ll work hard and I know I can move my way up.” 

_Why can’t Adam believe in him?_

“Sounds like you already made up your mind about this.” Adam replies before looking at Kurt in the eye. “What about us, huh?” 

Kurt tilts his head and stares back at his boyfriend. “What _about_ us?” 

“You’re gonna be living in New York and Paris for two months!” Adam yells. 

“Oh, like you don’t travel for work. You were on tour for 4 months last year. We made it work.” Kurt replies. 

“And I _hated_ it.” Adam says, reaching out for Kurt. “I don’t want to be away from you, Babe."

Kurt sighs tiredly. “Adam... it’s only for two months. Our relationship can survive us being apart for two months.” 

Adam pulls his hands away. “I think you should go home and really decide if this new job is worth risking all the good things you have in your life.” 

Kurt’s mouth hangs open. “Are you saying we’ll break up if I take this job?” 

Adam’s blue eyes are piercing back at Kurt’s. “I’m saying you’re going to be _risking_ our relationship if you take this job.” 

Kurt nods, willing his tears not to fall. He grabs his messenger bag and walks to the door. “Thanks for being supportive.” He says sarcastically over his shoulder before walking out and slamming the door. 

Kurt breaks down as soon as he gets in his car. He thought Adam would be happy for him, that Adam would be supportive. As a boyfriend should be. Except he wasn’t supportive, and threatened their relationship. Why was Adam so caught up on the pay? If Kurt doesn’t care, why should he? And, why was Adam so worried about their relationship not lasting if they were to be apart for two months? Doesn’t Adam believe in them? Doesn’t Adam believe in Kurt? 

Kurt drives around to clear his head before going to the office. He doesn’t want to go to work feeling upset, but there’s not much he can do about it. He is upset. He wanted his boyfriend to join in on his excitement and be proud of him for getting a design job. Is that too much to ask? 

When he gets to the office, Kurt is just walking pass the office kitchen when Blaine runs out of it. “Hey!” 

Kurt smiles softly at his friend. “Hi.” 

“How did it go?” Blaine asks excitedly but quietly since no one at work is supposed to know about Kurt’s interview. 

Kurt pulls him into the kitchen, since there is nobody there. “I got it!” 

“Oh my God, Kurt!” Blaine grins widely and pulls him into a bone crushing hug and lifts him up a bit, making Kurt giggle. “I knew it! Urg, I’m so proud of you!” 

Kurt looks at Blaine in awe and tears well up again in his eyes because this is the kind of reaction he was hoping to get from his boyfriend. 

“Kurt... what’s wrong?” Blaine asks him concerned. “Aren’t you excited?” 

“Yeah, um... it’s just... they’re gonna need me to go work at their New York and Paris offices in the beginning for a month at each office to get to know the staff and the company.” 

Blaine covers his mouth with his hands. “Oh my God! That’s _awesome!_ ” 

Kurt looks down at his hand that is clutching the shoulder strap of his bag. “Yeah well... Adam doesn’t think so.” 

Blaine frowns. “What do you mean?” 

Kurt looks up. “He said that I’ll be risking our relationship if I took this job because he doesn’t think we should be away from each other for two months.” 

Blaine scoffs. “You’re kidding, right?” Kurt shakes his head. “ _Kurt!_ You’re not considering _not_ to take this job, are you?” 

Kurt sits down in one of the chairs. “It doesn’t pay as well as it does here. I’ll be taking a pay cut. A big one.” 

“So, you have to start from somewhere. You’ll work your way up. With your talent, I have no doubt you’ll be moving up in the company in no time.” Blaine says following his friend and sitting down in a chair in front of Kurt. 

Kurt smiles at him sadly. “Maybe I should wait for something better? I mean, Adam did suggest that too. What if there is another job offer that is better? I mean, I don’t _hate_ my job here at CAA. It's...” 

“Comfortable.” Blaine finishes for Kurt. “This job is comfortable for you, but you’re not excited about it. It’s not challenging you nearly enough. You can do this job in your sleep, you’re so good at it. This new job is a great opportunity for you, Kurt. It’s your dream to design clothes and see your designs be sold in stores. I think you’ll be making a mistake if you give it up.” 

This is the second time today someone told him what he should do and Kurt is tired of it. Even though he knows Blaine means well, it’s not something he wants to hear at the moment. 

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Kurt says snappily. 

Blaine looks taken back. “I did not!” 

“Yes, you did. You think I’ll be making a mistake if I don’t take this new job. Adam thinks I’ll be stupid to leave CAA because it pays so well. I’m tired of it!” Kurt yells frustrated. 

“Why are you getting mad at me?” Blaine replies. “I just want what’s best for you.” And if Blaine were a smart man, he would stop at that, but he didn’t. Not when it comes to Kurt. He’s pretty stupid when it comes to Kurt, and he just can’t seem to have filter. “I can’t say the same for your boyfriend.” 

Kurt glares at him. “Please. Tell me how much you _hate_ Adam. As if I haven’t heard it from you before.” 

_“He’s not good for you!”_

“Here we go!” Kurt rolls his eyes. 

“He should be happy and supportive about this new opportunity for you.” Blaine continues. “Instead, he told you your relationship might not survive if you guys are going to be apart for two months?” 

“He has a right to be concerned.” Kurt defends, even though he doesn’t know why. He’s furious at Adam for saying the things he did. 

Blaine looks at him with disappointment and Kurt has never felt so horrible. “You seriously are considering not taking this job because of him.” 

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement. Blaine said it with so much resignation. Kurt just stares back in silence. 

Blaine nods. “You really want to be someone’s assistant for the rest of your life, Kurt?” 

Before Kurt has a chance to reply, Blaine gets up and walks out of the kitchen. When he finally calms down and realizes what a jerk he’s being to his best friend, he gets up and walks out of the kitchen to follow Blaine back to their desks, but Blaine is nowhere to be found. Kurt sighs and flops down into his desk chair. He turns on his computer and catches up on work. 

If Blaine wants to be a child about it and run whenever they have a disagreement, that’s fine by Kurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> & Other Stories is a real clothing brand. I really love their clothes and I can see Kurt getting his career started at this brand. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading, leaving kudos, and comments.  
> I cannot thank you enough. It makes me smile whenever I get an email notification saying someone left a comment on this story. So, thank you!


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first time my stories have been beta, so thank you to @doctorpavarotti for beta-ing this chapter.

Blaine never comes back to the office. Kurt finishes up his work and leaves the office right at five. He’s been on an emotional rollercoaster ride the whole day. He went from nervous to excited, and happy to angry, then confused and now he’s just tired. He wants to get home and call his dad and talk about this whole thing.  
Kurt flops down onto his couch when he gets home and lets out a long sigh. He pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls his dad. 

“Hey Dad.” 

“Hey Kiddo! How was your interview?” Burt asks excitedly. 

“I got the job.” Kurt answers and Burt cheers loudly. 

“I knew it!” Burt then yells away from the phone. “Hey Carole, Kurt got that design job!” Burt turns back into the phone to speak to his son. “I am so proud of you, Kurt. You did it!” 

Kurt smiles with tears in his eyes. “Thanks Dad.” 

Burt starts asking Kurt everything about the job. Kurt explains the details to his dad including the fact that he would be living in Paris and New York for a month each to work with the teams. 

“So, you’re taking the pay cut but who cares? You are going to be doing what you love. At the end of the day, that is something you can’t put a price on.” Burt tells his son and Kurt listens quietly. He’s been thinking about his fight with Adam all day. The things that Adam had said to him. He knows what he has to do now. He just needs to have the courage to do so. 

“I’m going to break up with Adam.” Kurt blurts out as if a realization just hits him. 

Burt raises his eyebrow, although he’s not surprised by this news. “What happened?” 

Kurt runs his fingers through his hair. “He’s not really supportive of me getting this new job, and I guess I’m just finally seeing what Blaine has been telling me this whole time.” 

“Which is...?” 

“Adam’s not good for me.” Kurt says with a sigh. “I just always chalked it up to Blaine being jealous or that he doesn’t know the real Adam. It turns out, I was the one who didn’t know the real Adam, until today.” He wipes a tear that rolls down his face. 

“I’m sorry, buddy.” 

“You knew, didn’t you?” Kurt asks his dad, not in an accusing manner but more of a statement. “That he wasn’t right for me.” 

“I had a feeling, but I chose to trust your judgement.” Burt replies. “It looks like I was right to do so, because you’ve always got a good head on your shoulders. I knew you’d make the right choice in the end.” 

Kurt stays quiet thinking of what he’s going to say to Adam. 

“So, what does Blaine has to say about you breaking up with Adam?” 

“I haven’t told him yet. We got into a fight.” Kurt answers with a sigh. 

“About Adam?” 

“About Adam. About the job.” Kurt says. “I was being a jerk. I... Gosh, I was angry at Adam and I kind of took it out on Blaine. He’s upset with me.” 

“I’m sure you’ll work it out. Apologize and Blaine will understand.” 

“Thanks, Dad. But I need to do something first before I talk to Blaine.” Kurt says, knowing he needs to end things with Adam first before talking to Blaine. 

“Alright. I’m proud of you. Let me know when you’re gonna be starting your new job.” 

Kurt groans. “Oh God, I’ll have to tell Cooper that I’m quitting. He’s gonna be upset.” Kurt can just image the look on his boss’s face. 

“He’ll understand that this is your dream.” 

“Thanks, Dad, for everything. I feel a lot better now.” 

Kurt hangs up with phone with a smile. He’s about to be making some big changes in his life and career. He’s terrified, but he’s beyond thrilled. He wants this new job, and he knows that it is the best decision for him to take it and begin his design career. And if Adam isn’t supportive and is going to make Kurt be the bread winner in their relationship without a care for his dreams and goals then, Kurt is done. He’s done making compromises for someone who won’t do the same for him. More importantly, he doesn’t want to compromise on this. Not when it is his career. 

Kurt knows Adam is doing a show at the moment. He doesn’t want to wait another day. He wants to sign the offer letter from & Other Stories and accept the job. He wants to go into the office tomorrow and give his two-week notice to Cooper. He wants to pull Blaine into his arms and apologize for being a jerk and tell him that he has been right all along about Adam and that things are over between them. He wants to see that heart-stopping smile stretches across Blaine’s handsome face when he tells him this. He wants... well, he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. He needs to speak with Adam first. 

Kurt signs his name on the offer acceptance letter and emails it back to HR at & Other Stories. He eats leftover food for dinner and drives over to Adam’s apartment around the time Adam should be arriving home after the show. 

When Adam turns a corner in the hallway towards his apartment to see Kurt sitting on the carpeted floor next to his door, he thinks Kurt is here to apologize for this morning. 

“Hey, Babe.” Adam greets as he pulls out his keys to unlock the door. 

“Hi, we need to talk.” Kurt says, not wanting to beat around the bush. 

“Sure. Come on in.” Adam leads Kurt into his apartment. “So, you’ve come to your senses then?” 

Kurt reframes himself from rolling his eyes. “Yes, I’ve come to my senses.” Technically, Adam’s not wrong. 

Adam smiles. “I am so glad. Oh, Babe. It’s gonna be great. You’re so much better than that job that wouldn’t pay you what you deserve to get paid.” Adam begins excitedly. “I was thinking today that my lease is about to be up on this place. We can get a place together. Some place bigger, maybe a house with a yard? I know how much you love gardening. You can have a real garden in an actual yard instead of the little greenhouse you made up on your balcony. I mean, we’ll be able to afford it with your salary at CAA.” 

Kurt puts his hand up to stop Adam for talking. “Adam, stop!” Adam stops and stares at his boyfriend. “We are not getting a place together. I am taking that job. I already signed the acceptance letter and sent it in. I am leaving CAA, and I am leaving _you_.” 

Adam scoffs. “You’re leaving _me?_ ” 

“Yes. I can’t be with someone who is _never_ willing to make compromises or sacrifices for me. Someone who wants to take control of my life. Who doesn’t understands my dreams and needs. Someone who isn’t supportive.” 

Adam hardens his jaw, his eyes flicking with anger. “It’s Anderson, isn’t it?” 

Kurt frowns. “What?” 

“He’s been feeding you this crap! I _knew_ he has a thing for you. I never trusted him. The little weasel!” 

“Blaine is not a weasel! If anything, he’s been a great friend to me since day one. I was blinded by your charm and my love for you. It just took me until this morning to see you for who you really are. You don’t love me Adam, because you don’t treat someone you love the way you’ve been treating me. I’ve made excuses for you, because you are sweet when you want to be, and you actually made me believe that you loved and cared for me. But I was wrong. I don’t want someone who is only going to be good to me sometimes. I want to love someone who is going to be good to me and support me all the time. Someone who is going to cheer me on and be my rock.” 

Kurt wipes his tears. “So, that’s what I came here to say. I’m taking control of my life again. I’m doing what I want and what makes me happy. We are over! Good bye, Adam.” He says before walking over to the door. 

Adam follows him. “Fine! Leave! You’re making a huge mistake. Don’t come crawling back to me when you are unhappy at your low paying job and you’re horny and desperate for my cock!” 

Kurt scoffs. “Don’t flatter yourself. You were never that good!” He says coldly before slamming the door on his way out. Kurt smiles as he drives home. Feeling so much lighter and freer. 

\-------------- 

The next morning, Kurt is excited to see Blaine. He makes coffee for the two of them and ready to apologize and tell Blaine everything that has happened in the last 12 hours. But Blaine is late. He doesn’t come in at his usual time. Kurt tosses Blaine’s cold coffee with disappointment as he begins to draft up his resignation letter to Cooper. Blaine finally shows up to work five minutes before 8. Kurt immediately stands up and walks over to his friend’s desk. 

“Blaine. Can we talk?” 

Blaine stares at Kurt blankly. His usually expressive eyes looking dull. “What do you want to talk about?” 

“You never came back yesterday.” Kurt has so much he wants to say, but staring at Blaine now, this is the best he could come up with. 

“I had a meeting with a client and I just went home afterwards. Is that all you want to talk about?” Blaine asks, turning his computer on. 

Kurt sighs. “No. It’s not. I want to apologize for yesterday. I was a jerk, ok? I was mad at Adam and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.” Kurt looks at Blaine and he can see Blaine’s facial features soften. “You were right about everything. I... didn’t want to see it before, but I do now. Adam has not been treating me well. He took control of my life and I needed to make him stop. I signed the acceptance letter.” Kurt says and Blaine smiles for the first time this morning. “I sent it in last night. I’m about to go into Cooper’s office in a little bit and turn in my resignation.” 

“That’s good. I’m proud of you, Kurt.” Blaine says and that’s all it takes for Kurt to throw his arms around him and bring him into his arms. Blaine hesitates before he wraps his arms around Kurt’s waist. 

“Thank you for always being supportive.” Kurt says into Blaine’s ear, making Blaine’s skin on his neck tingle with goosebumps. 

“I...” 

Kurt pulls back and smiles at Blaine. This is it. “I broke up with Adam last night.” 

Blaine goes completely still in Kurt’s arms. He stares blankly before saying the words that Kurt never wanted to hear. “I went on a date with Sebastian last night.”  


Kurt stops breathing. Blaine’s words took his breath away, and not in a good way. His heart stops for a few beats. His blood rushes to his head and starts pounding, giving him a headache. All he can think is _Blaine went out with Sebastian. Blaine had a date with Sebastian. Blaine probably kissed Sebastian. Oh God, they probably did more than kiss!_

“You slept with him.” The words just slip out of Kurt’s mouth, and for the first time, he’s the one without a filter. 

Blaine shakes his head. “No. No. I didn’t, but he did ask me to be his boyfriend, and I said yes.” Blaine looks guilty. He looks like he’s in pain. He couldn’t look at Kurt in the eye, and all Kurt wants to do is run away forever and never come back. 

He’s too late. He waited too long to realize what an ass his boyfriend is, and he let Blaine slip through his fingers. Blaine, who is his amazing friend, who makes him smile like no one else could, and who has always wanted the best for Kurt. Now, Blaine is Sebastian’s. 

Kurt steps out of their embrace immediately and wraps his arms around himself as if to protect himself. 

Blaine tries to reach for him. “Kurt...” He looks broken. His brown eyes, molten with liquid honey as tears well inside. 

“I hope you two are happy together. Excuse me.” Kurt says before walking briskly out of the office to the restrooms. He needs to be away from Blaine. He can’t continue to stand there and stare at those beautiful eyes knowing they are not his to get lost in. 

What a difference 12 hours could make? 

Kurt feels like his life has completely turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know...  
> Things will all work out in the end... hopefully. 
> 
> Thank you so much for all the love on this story. Your comments and kudos are my fuel to keep writing.


	8. Eight

Kurt looks out the window next to his desk, and stares at the black and white striped awning of a café across the street. It is 11 am and Paris is buzzing with activity. It’s been three weeks since Kurt’s been in Paris for the first leg of his training. It’s been a dream come true for Kurt to see Paris as well as work and live in Paris even if it’s only for four weeks. His coworkers are very welcoming in and out of the office. They had all taken turn to show Kurt the city after work or on the weekends. Kurt loves Paris. All the architecture of the buildings and the atmosphere of the city instantly make him feel inspired and get his creativity flowing. He’s drawn a ton of sketches in the past three weeks that he’s been in Paris. Of course, doing so kept him distracted, and prevented him from thinking about Blaine every minute. 

They haven’t really talked since Kurt left the States. Although Blaine has been sending him emails once every few days, telling him about random office gossip or what he had for lunch or asking Kurt about life in Paris. Kurt couldn’t find it in him to reply to any of the emails. He’s written a few lengthy emails to Blaine. They have just been sitting in his Drafts folder. He couldn’t send those emails to Blaine. He had written those emails as a way of therapy. Ever since that day that Blaine told him he and Sebastian were together, Kurt felt this sense of loss that he had never felt before. Not even from his breakup with Adam. He felt like he lost Blaine, even though Blaine was never his to begin with. Kurt thinks back to the last conversation he had with Blaine at the farewell party that Cooper had thrown in Kurt’s honor at the office on his last day. 

\--------------

#### Flashback to the party

Kurt tries not to cry as he pulls away from a hug with Cooper. 

“You can come back anytime. Even though I know you won’t.” Cooper says with a sad smile. 

Kurt can’t help it. He’s crying. “Thanks, Coop. You really are the best boss ever and I am going to miss you a lot.” Kurt wipes a tear from his cheek. 

Cooper smiles. “Of course, you are going to miss me, and I _am_ the best boss.” He says before glancing over Kurt’s shoulder. “Alright, I’ll let you say goodbye to your friends.” He pats Kurt’s shoulder lightly before walking away. 

Kurt turns around to find Blaine standing there with his hands in his pocket and staring at him with a small smile on his face. Kurt stands up straighter and braces himself. He’s not ready to say goodbye to Blaine. He never wants to say goodbye to Blaine. 

“Great party.” Blaine says in a way to break the ice. 

Kurt shrugs slightly and preens a bit. “I can’t help be pull focus.” 

Blaine chuckles. “As you should. You are the man of the hour. We are celebrating you.” Blaine walks closer and Kurt steps back slightly. He feels like he needs to keep some distance between them. 

“Wanna take a walk with me to the lounge so we can talk?” Blaine asks and Kurt nods slightly as he follows him out of the office. 

When they get to the lounge area, Blaine sits down at one of the couches and motions for Kurt to sit next to him. Kurt sits down but leaves a good amount of space between them. 

“Where’s Sebastian?” Kurt asks because he can’t help himself. He’s been wondering it all evening. He would think Blaine would have invited his boyfriend to come to the party. 

Blaine frowns. “I don’t want to talk about Sebastian right now.” He slides closer to Kurt on the couch. They are the only ones in the lounge as everyone is back at the office area where the party is. 

Kurt takes a shaky breath. “He’s your boyfriend.” 

“You’re my best friend and you’re leaving.” Blaine says before reaching over to touch Kurt’s wrist. “Can we just be _us_ for the moment?” 

Kurt stares down at Blaine’s hand on his wrist. “Blaine...” 

“I miss you.” Blaine says, causing Kurt to look at him. 

“I haven’t left.” 

Blaine smiles sadly. “It felt like you left the moment I told you about me and Sebastian.” 

“I thought you said you don’t want to talk about Sebastian.” Kurt replies and Blaine sighs tiredly. 

“Kurt...” He tightens his hold on Kurt’s wrist. “I know you’re upset with me.” 

“I’m not.” Kurt lies. 

Blaine gives him a look that says he’s not buying it. “You’re upset and I don’t want you to leave like that. What can I do to fix it?” Blaine says desperately. 

Kurt wants to say, _‘Break up with Sebastian. Or better yet, go back in time and never went out with Sebastian that night to begin with.’_ But he doesn’t say any of that. Blaine made his choice. He chose Sebastian. And Kurt, well, he’s getting on a plane tomorrow morning to go to Paris for a month and then to New York for another month after that. What can he say at this point? 

“Nothing. There’s nothing left to do or say. I’m leaving tomorrow.” Kurt replies with a shrug of resignation. 

Blaine’s face changes from desperation to anger as he clenches his jaw. “You’re not leaving forever, Kurt. You’ll be back in LA after two months.” 

“It still doesn’t change anything.” 

“It doesn’t?” Blaine asks challengingly and Kurt turns his chin up. 

“No.” What does Blaine expect him to say? He’s with Sebastian now, even if Kurt is coming back home in two months. “You made your choice.” 

“Only because I thought you were never going to leave him!” Blaine replies, getting angry. 

Kurt flinches, but he continues to glare at Blaine. “So, you went with a man whore. Really nice, Blaine. It shows how high of a standard you have.” 

Blaine scoffs. “Oh, you’re one to talk about having standard! You let your boyfriend treat you like trash for almost a year.” 

“If you think Sebastian is any better than Adam, you’re wrong. At least I knew Adam didn’t have any infectious diseases.” Kurt replies with a sharp tongue. 

“Sebastian doesn’t... Gosh!” Blaine puts his hands up. “Why are we fighting about them right now?” 

“I don’t know. You started it!” Kurt replies childishly, making Blaine want to smile despite the frustration he feels. 

“What is it about you that makes me want to cry one moment and then scream at you out of frustration, and now make me want to laugh because you are so damn endearing?” Blaine says and Kurt’s face soften. Blaine continues. 

“You make me _feel_ Kurt, like no one else ever could.” Blaine confesses. “I...” He stares into Kurt’s eyes. “Would things have turned out differently if I had never gone out with Seb that night?” 

Kurt takes in a shaky breath. He’s asked himself that question every day since that day. If Blaine never went out with Sebastian that night, would he and Blaine be together now? Is it even smart for them to start their relationship long distance since Kurt would be leaving LA for two months? Or if Kurt really wants to torture himself, he wondered if he and Blaine never fought that afternoon in the office kitchen, would Blaine even go out with Sebastian that night? Did he really drive Blaine into the arms of Sebastian Smythe? “Maybe. I guess we’ll never know now.” 

“Kurt, I...” 

“Don’t.” Kurt stops Blaine from saying whatever he was going to say. He blinks back the tears. “Don’t say it. I don’t think I can handle it right now.” He tells Blaine with a nod. “I’m still trying to come to terms with the fact that you are with Sebastian. It's... don’t make this harder than it already is.”  
Blaine reaches for Kurt’s hand. “It doesn’t have to be.” 

“Do you care about Sebastian?” Kurt asks, taking Blaine by surprise. “He’s your boyfriend, so I’m assuming you do care about him. You gave him your word, Blaine. You said yes, when he asked you to be his boyfriend. I think you should honor that.” 

Blaine looks at him with sad eyes. “Even though the reason I said yes to him was because I thought you were never going to be mine?” 

Kurt’s heart slams against his ribcage. He struggles to breathe as tears well in his eyes. “Maybe we’re just never meant to be.” He breathes out the words quietly.  
Blaine shakes his head. His voice quivering as he speaks. “I don’t want to believe that.” 

“But that’s the way it is right now. The universe clearly doesn’t want us to be together.” Kurt says looking away from Blaine’s gaze. 

“ _We_ write our own story, Kurt. Say the word.” Blaine says with conviction, causing Kurt to look back at him. “Say the word and I’m yours.” Blaine says pleadingly and Kurt would never forget the crestfallen look on Blaine’s face after what he says next. 

“I can’t.” 

Kurt would also regret saying those two words. Blaine looks heartbroken as he pulls his hand away from Kurt and stands up. He walks away without looking back at Kurt. 

\-------------- 

Kurt sighs as he looks away from a couple kissing at a table in the café downstairs. Whenever he thinks back to the party and his last two words to Blaine, his mind fills with regret. He knows why he said those words. Blaine asked him to tell him to stop seeing Sebastian. What Kurt wanted was for Blaine to do so without him having to tell him. Call it pride, if you want but that’s how Kurt felt in that moment. Blaine never told him to break up with Adam, so why would Blaine ask that of Kurt? 

So, Kurt writes emails to Blaine. Emails that he never sent. In those emails, Kurt writes about how much he regrets not telling Blaine that night to just dump Sebastian and be with him. He writes about how much he misses Blaine because at the end of the day, he just wants his best friend back. 

Kurt looks back at a mannequin next to his desk that has a dress that he’s been sewing. It’s a floral spring dress that is inspired by the romanticism of Paris. It’s going to be one of the statement pieces in their spring collection. Kurt is proud of it. It’s only been three weeks, but he loves his new job. He loves that he gets to see Paris, and be creative. He just wishes he has Blaine by his side. 

He turns back to his laptop, which has his email opened. He opened a new message window to begin typing another email to Blaine. 

“Hey Kurt. Do you want to go to lunch?” Edgar, one of his coworkers asks Kurt, pulling his attention away from his laptop. 

Kurt looks over at Edgar with a smile. “Oui. Let me finish something here and I’ll be ready to go.” 

“Me semble bien.” Edgar replies. 

Kurt turns back to his laptop to finish writing the email that he will never send to Blaine. He clicks on his Drafts folder to see all the emails that he has saved. Kurt sighs before he moves his mouse cursor up to close the window before going to lunch. He grabs his messenger bag and walks over to Edgar. 

“Let’s go.” 

Edgar smiles and the two of them walk out of the office. 

What Kurt doesn’t know is that he had accidentally and unknowingly clicked ‘Send’ on one of the emails in his Drafts folder. 

\-------------- 

Two hours later, across the ocean in Los Angeles, Blaine wakes up when his alarm goes off. He gets up and goes through his morning routine before heading to the office. These days, he makes coffee and drinks it at home before going to the office. He doesn’t have Kurt anymore to enjoy their morning coffee together. Although Ava, Kurt’s replacement as Cooper’s assistant, is a nice girl, she’s just not Kurt. No one is. Blaine came to that realization pretty quickly as one month into his relationship with Sebastian, he broke things off. Sebastian took it a lot better than Blaine thought he would, by telling Blaine that since he’s the next big thing in Hollywood, it would be better for his image to not be tied down to a guy. Blaine had felt so relief that he laughed. This was the first time he ever laughed during a breakup. Sebastian is moving to Vancouver to start filming the pilot for The Flash in a few months anyway. They ended on good term. 

He hasn’t told Kurt yet. Mostly because he wanted to tell Kurt in person. He also doesn’t want to distract Kurt from enjoying his new job and being in Paris. So, Blaine waits. He sends Kurt emails about office gossip and random musings. Kurt hasn’t replied back to any of his emails, but it still doesn’t stop Blaine from writing to Kurt. 

When his coffee is ready, he fills up his mug and sits on a stool at his kitchen island as he sips his coffee. He pulls out his phone to scroll through social media before checking his email. After three weeks of no communication, there it is in his inbox is an email from the person he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about for weeks.

#### From: Kurt Hummel 

#### To: Blaine Anderson 

#### Subject: City of Love without Love

_Blaine,_

_I just came back from seeing the light show at the Eiffel Tower. It looks breathtaking to see the Tower during the day but, it is spectacular to see it all lit up like a thousand of diamonds at night. The whole time I was watching the lights, I wished you were sitting down with me on the grass as we sip on champagne and munch on cheese and bread._

_Paris is beautiful, but I know LA is beaming with breathtaking sunshine because it has **you**. There’s a song named, Los Angeles, from a band called, The Audition. The lyrics go, “She said I’m jealous of Los Angeles. She gets to keep you for a month or two. And I don’t know if I can handle this. The thought of being without you.” _

_I’ve been listening to it nonstop and thinking about you._

_Are you thinking about me too?_

_I like to think that you are._

_I read your latest email this morning. If I’m being honest, I reread your emails multiple times a day. Speaking of... you should give Ava a chance. She seems like a nice girl. She’s going to need a friend and an ally in the office to get through the tough days. You can be that friend for her. I’m glad that Cooper is getting along well with her. It makes me happy to know that I didn’t leave him with a completely incompetent person to replace me._

_I’m watching Friends on TV as I type this email. It’s the episode where they were in London for Ross’s wedding and Joey was getting homesick. It made me think of you.  
Everything makes me think of you. _

_I miss you._

_I think about that night a lot. Sometimes, I regret not telling you what you wanted me to say. And other times, I get really angry at you for asking me to. Because I shouldn’t have to, Blaine. I shouldn’t have to ask you to choose me. I want to be chosen. I want you to choose me because you want to, not because I asked you to. Call me silly or childish, but that’s how I feel._

_Because I choose you, Blaine. I may have been a little too late, but I still choose you._

_-Kurt_

Blaine is out of his seat and grabbing his bag and keys in record time as soon as he finishes reading Kurt’s email. He needs to get to the office. He needs to talk to Cooper and if his brother gives an okay, he needs to call his clients to move some meetings around. Because there is some where he needs to be as soon as possible to tell the person he loves that he chooses him too. And he doesn’t want to wait another month to do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. I am forever grateful. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


	9. Nine

“No.” 

Blaine stares at his brother incredulously. “What do you mean, no?” 

“I mean, no, you cannot have a few days off to go to Paris to profess your undying love to Kurt.” Cooper replies firmly. 

“Why not?” Blaine knows he sounds like a child, but his brother is being unfair! 

Cooper sighs. “Well, let’s see. You’ve been with the company for six months. You haven’t earned any vacation days yet. Not to mention, you have a very important meeting tomorrow.” 

“It’s just with Cory Taylor. I can reschedule. He’s not even in the Entertainment industry. He’s just...” Blaine explains, before Cooper interrupts him. 

“An all-star baseball player in the entire CIF division, who can pitch a no hitter in every game.” Cooper finishes for Blaine. “You know what I thought when you first mentioned him to me?” Cooper asks and Blaine shrugs. “That you really love this sport. Baseball is where your heart is.” 

“Yeah, but I can’t play pro ball again. You know that. Not after what happened.” Blaine says getting a bit annoyed with his brother. Why is Cooper bringing up baseball again? Hasn’t Blaine suffered enough when he lost that dream back in High School? He has worked hard to get over it. He found a new career path. He’s doing quite well at CAA, if he does say so himself. He’s brought in new clients that have booked good parts that brought in money to the agency. His biggest success has been Sebastian, to everyone’s surprise. As arrogant as Sebastian is, he can sell vulnerability and relatability on screen. It also helps that he can charm anyone into liking him. The network executives fell in love with him and he is now going to be on his own show for the title role of _The Flash_. Since he had completed his first 90-day period, Cooper had given him more clients as well as freedom to bring in new clients. Of course, Cooper still gets involved with the signing process, but for the most part, he let Blaine makes decisions. 

“I love working at CAA. You know I’m good at this.” Blaine tells his brother, hoping to convince Cooper that he is happy at CAA. He’s not still mourning over the end of his baseball career. 

Cooper puts his hand up. “I know you are, and that’s why I want you to do more at CAA.” Cooper leans forward on his elbows towards Blaine. “You gave me an idea when you told me about Cory last week. I didn’t want to say anything to you until you met with him tomorrow, but you’re trying to cancel on him to chase after a guy, so you left me with no choice.” 

Blaine glares at Cooper. “ _Kurt_ is not just a guy!” 

Cooper puts his hand up. “I _know!_ I know how special Kurt is and what he means to you, but hear me out first before you get mad at me.” Blaine deflates and Cooper sighs. “Blaine... you are my little brother and I love you to death, but you don’t make the best life decisions when a guy gets involved. You damaged your pitching wrist by getting into a fight with bullies twice your size because they were picking on your boyfriend. And it ended your baseball career before it even begun. You have a big heart Blaine, and I am amazed by you every day, but that big heart of yours also cloud your logical thinking.” 

Cooper pauses to make sure he still has his brother’s attention. Blaine is pouting but he is staring at him, which tells him that Blaine is listening. 

“Kurt is just starting his new job. Not just any job, but a new career that he’s really excited about. You need to let him have that. Give him this space and time to enjoy the beginning of his new career. As should you.” 

Blaine tilts his head and narrows his eyes. “I’ve been an agent for six months.” 

“Yes, but did you think that when I hired you, I wanted you to be an agent forever?” Cooper asks before he continues. “I want to expand CAA. I’ve been thinking about expansion for a while, but haven’t figured out how to do it. There’s always theater I guess, but every other agency in this town represent theater actors. I want something different. Unique. When you told me about Cory Taylor last week during our Sunday dinner, I knew what I wanted to do.” 

Cooper pauses for dramatic effect and Blaine leans forward curiously. 

“CAA Sports.” Cooper reveals with a huge smile on his face. 

Blaine is intrigued. 

“You want to be a Sports agent?” Blaine asks curiously. 

Cooper chuckles. “No, I want _you_ to be one. Well, ultimately, I want you to be the head of CAA Sports. I want you to run the Sports division of CAA. You got a degree in Business Management. I know you can do it. As of right now, it’s just you until you get some clients on board, and _when_ it takes off, we can expand to give you a team.” Cooper leans forward to look at Blaine. “This means, no more reading piles of scripts. No more watching hours of audition tapes. Instead, you’ll be watching highlight reels, attending high school and college sports games for scouting. You’ll be working with athletes instead of drama queens of Hollywood. You’ll still get to be involved in a sport that you love. Of course, we won’t just be representing baseball players, but Cory would be a great first client. You love the sport. You are already familiar with the game. We’ll start with baseball, and add more agents to represent other sports.” 

Blaine smiles. He’s always known that his brother is a smart business man, but this is on a new level. Not only it’s a great idea to expand the company, Cooper did this for Blaine. His brother was thinking of him when he decided to start CAA Sports. 

“Wow. Thank you, Coop! I...” Blaine chuckles and rubs his forehead with his hand, feeling a bit overwhelmed. “I’m kind of speechless right now.” 

“You’re welcome.” Cooper smiles before looking at Blaine seriously. “Squirt, you know I believe in you, right? I want you to be happy and successful and get everything you ever wished for.” 

“I know, Coop.” Blaine replies, swallowing a lump in his throat. He tries not to cry as he tries to keep his emotions in check. “This is so unexpected and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. I won’t let you down.” 

“I know you won’t.” Cooper says before typing on his computer. “As you know, you need to be in the player’s association to represent athletes. You need to take a Sports Agent Exam to get your credentials. I suggest you start studying for it. And I also set up a few meetings for you with a couple of buddies of mine who are currently representing pro athletes. You can learn from them and get advice. Cory Taylor is a senior. I need you to be certified and licensed to be able to represent him by the time he graduates from High School. Which means, no running off to Paris to see Kurt.” Cooper orders authoritatively. 

Blaine sighs and twists his mouth in wonder. “Alright. I get it.” 

Cooper’s face softens. “It’s just another month, Blaine. He’ll be back in LA before you know it. You can use this time to study for the exam. No distractions. This is your future.” 

Blaine nods. “Ok.” He’s waited six months to be with Kurt. He can wait another month. 

Cooper’s face light up with a big grin. “Great! That’s my brother I know and love. Now, get out of here. I’ll have Ava email you all the info on the study materials and registering for the exam, as well as meetings with Sports agents.” 

Blaine gets up. “Thanks, Coop.” 

Blaine smiles at Ava as he walks back to his desk. He looks over at her desk, which is Kurt’s old desk, and can’t help but think of Kurt. He misses him. He misses their morning coffee hangouts. He misses Kurt’s laughter. He misses Kurt. 

He was hoping to get on the next flight to Paris and pull Kurt into his arms to tell him he loves him and he’s always been his first choice. But he knows his brother is right. He needs to let Kurt have this time. He doesn’t want to taint Kurt’s first time in Paris doing what he loves at his new job, by showing up unannounced. 

Cooper had given him a great new opportunity that would advance his career and he is not going to let his brother down. He also cannot just ignore the email he received from Kurt by not responding. He has to do something. He can’t be in Paris to tell Kurt in person how he feels, but he can still tell Kurt. He just needs to plan what he wants to say first. 

\------------ 

Kurt tries to balance his folder of sketches and his takeout food in his hands as he walks into his apartment that his company had rented out for his short term stay in Paris. It’s small, but charming. It is in a walking distance to the office and he loves that he gets to wake up every morning to a delicious scent of buttery croissants from a bakery downstairs. He is going to miss this place when he leaves for New York next week. 

Kurt drops his messenger bag and sketch folder on the side table by the front door. He toes off his shoes and walk into the kitchen to begin unwrapping his food. He had stayed at the office late today to finish sewing the dress he has been working on. Because of that, instead of going out with his coworkers like he normally does, he picked up food on his way home from work. He’s looking forward to vegging on the couch and watching Friends on TV. 

He’s a little disappointed that he didn’t receive an email from Blaine today. But, he knows Blaine is probably busy. Blaine is probably out with Sebastian. Sebastian, who is Blaine’s boyfriend. Kurt does his best to suppress the feeling of jealousy he feels whenever he thinks of Blaine with Sebastian. There’s nothing he can do about it now. Maybe one day in the future, he and Blaine would have their chance to be together. 

As he takes a bite of his panni, he takes his phone out of his pants pocket. He’s been so busy trying to finish up the dress, that he hasn’t had a chance to check his phone for messages. He sees a couple of messages from his dad and Finn. There is also a message from Blaine. 

He swallows his food before he unlocks his phone to view the messages. He taps on Blaine’s name to view the message. It’s a video file. He holds his breath as he presses play. 

Blaine’s devastatingly handsome face comes on screen and he waves. 

_“Hey Kurt.”_

_“Um...” Blaine scratches the back of his neck and looks at the camera with a shy smile. “How are you? I hope you had a good day at work. I wanted to send you this because I got your email.”_

Kurt presses pause on the video and drops his phone. 

_Email? What email?_

He never sent Blaine an email. He’s written some, but he didn’t send any. Kurt panics as he picks up his phone and opens his mail app to check his sent folder. And sure enough, there is an email that was sent to Blaine yesterday. 

Kurt gasps as he taps on the message to see which of the many emails, he wrote that he apparently sent to Blaine by accident. 

_City of Love without Love_

Kurt sucks in a breath before he goes back to his messages to play Blaine’s video. 

_“God, I wish I could be in Paris with you right now and tell you this face to face. But I know that you are busy with your new job. I don’t want to distract you from it. But I want to tell you this, because after reading your email. I can’t wait another month to let you know how I feel.”_

_Blaine takes a deep breath before staring right at the camera as if he’s staring right into Kurt’s eyes. “I choose you, too Kurt. I broke up with Sebastian last week. And it’s not like I’m choosing you now that I broke up with Sebastian. You’ve always been my first choice. It’s always been you, and it’s always going to be you.”_

_Blaine smiles shyly again. “There are so many things I want to say to you, but I’ll wait until you come back home. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. Enjoy Paris and New York. I lo...” Blaine chuckles and shakes his head slightly. “Ok, I’m going to stop talking before I word vomit everything. There are some things I would rather tell you in person.” He waves at the camera with a big smile. “Bye.”_

Kurt lets out a breath and he realizes he’s been smiling the whole time he was watching Blaine’s video. He starts to giggle with glee as he puts his hand over his mouth. 

Did that really just happen? 

He doesn’t even bother checking the time in LA before he’s calling Blaine on FaceTime. Maybe this time, they can finally get it right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I did some research on what it takes to be a Sports Agent. You do need to take the sports agent exam to get your credentials to represent athletes. 
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter. Only one more to go. Thank you always for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos.


	10. Ten

####  One Month Later 

Blaine is buzzing with excitement. Today is the day that Kurt comes home. Today is the day they can begin the rest of their lives, because let’s face it. Blaine is never letting Kurt go. 

Kurt’s flight from New York landed in LA 4 hours ago. It took everything it has in him not to meet Kurt at the airport, but Kurt had been adamant about not wanting to start their relationship in the middle of a busy airport. In one of their many FaceTime calls since that day Kurt called him for the first time from Paris after watching Blaine’s little video, Kurt had said to him, _“I do not want our first kiss to be by a baggage claim with people rushing around us with their luggage.”_

Blaine had agreed. He wants to make it special. They've waited long enough. So, they had made plans to meet later in the day for dinner. Their first date. 

Blaine gets ready for the date with an extra pep in his step. He made a reservation at a Mexican restaurant that he knows Kurt loves. Kurt had been complaining how much he misses Mexican food during their phone calls. Apparently, there aren’t any good Mexican food options in Paris or New York. Blaine didn’t plan out the whole evening except for dinner. He wanted to talk to Kurt and they can both decide what they want to do after dinner. 

Blaine arrives at Kurt’s apartment at 5 pm on the dot. He’s holding a bouquet of red roses in his hand as he waits for Kurt to open the door. He can hear his heart pounding loudly in his chest. His entire body is vibrating with excitement. 

The door finally opens and Kurt stands there with the biggest smile on his face and looking absolutely breathtaking. Blaine smiles back and before he knows it, Kurt is jumping into his arms and hugging him tightly. 

“I’ve dreamed of this for two months.” Kurt tells him softly, still holding onto Blaine. 

Blaine smiles. “I’ve dreamed of this for 7 months.” 

Kurt gives Blaine one more tight squeeze before pulling back from the hug to look at him. “Hi.” 

Blaine beams at him and does his best to control his urges of wanting to pull Kurt into a searing kiss. “Hi.” He breathes, eyes sparkling with joy. 

“Are those for me?” Kurt asks gesturing to the flowers in Blaine’s hand. 

Blaine looks down at the roses in his hand and smirks. “No, they are for Mrs. Flabbergast down the hall.” He teases lightly as he walks into Kurt’s apartment. 

Kurt pretends to look offended, knowing that Blaine is joking. He gasps. “You would bring flowers to a bitter old lady, but not to your boyfriend?” 

Blaine whips around to faces Kurt, joke forgotten. “Boyfriend?” 

Kurt looks down shyly as Blaine walks back closer to him. “Well, I mean...” He looks back up at Blaine, who is staring at him intently. “Aren’t we...?” 

Blaine throws his plan of waiting to have their first kiss out the window as he reaches for Kurt and cups his face in his hands before crashing his lips against Kurt’s. Kurt melts against him and he wraps his arms around Blaine’s shoulders to hold him tightly. Kurt’s lips feel soft against his. He feels complete, being held in Kurt’s arms. It’s so much better than his fantasies he’s dreamt of whenever he was thinking of wanting to kiss Kurt. 

Blaine can’t help but let out a whimper when Kurt pulls away slightly to catch his breath. He feels Kurt smile against his lips before he’s being kissed again. It’s everything Blaine ever wanted. 

“I take that as a Yes?” Kurt asks softly when they pull apart from the kiss. 

Blaine leans his forehead against Kurt’s and opens his eyes to look at him from beneath his long eyelashes. “Yes. We are absolutely, completely together as boyfriends.” 

“And those are _my_ flowers.” Kurt says and Blaine chuckles before pressing a kiss to his lips soundly. 

“Yes. They are your flowers.” Blaine answers and Kurt smiles triumphantly before walking over to put the flowers in a vase. 

“Are you hungry? I made a reservation for us at Camalita’s at 6.” 

Kurt looks over at Blaine. “Yes! Oh my God, I’ve been craving Mexican food! You are the _best!_ ” 

Blaine beams. “I try. We should get going. There might be a bit of traffic.” 

Kurt nods before putting on his coat and grabbing his keys and wallet. “What else did you have planned for us tonight?” He asks curiously. 

Blaine smiles as he follows Kurt out of the apartment. “Anything you want.” 

Kurt narrows his eyes. “You didn’t have anything planned, did you?” 

Blaine gives him a look. “Well, I didn’t want to make all the decisions for our first date. I wanted to make sure we do something you like, too. I figured we’ll talk during dinner and see what we feel like doing afterwards. We can always go for a walk at the beach, but it’s pretty cold out, so I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. We can go see a movie, but you’d probably be tired after your flight today.” 

Kurt smiles and touches Blaine’s arm to get him to stop rambling. “Blaine, stop. I was just teasing you. It would be nice to figure out what to do together. I love that you asked me what I wanted instead of just planning everything out.” 

Blaine’s expression sobers and he laces their fingers together. “Of course. We’re a team, right?” He pulls their clasped hands up to his lips and kisses Kurt’s knuckles. 

Kurt smiles brightly. “Yes. And speaking of team, tell me all about CAA Sports.” 

As Blaine begins to tell him everything about studying for the Sports Agent Exam and meeting with Cooper’s friends who are currently representing pro athletes, it makes Blaine feel like nothing has changed. They are back to being best friends, just as they were before. Only it’s so much better, because now, Blaine can hold Kurt’s hand and pull him into his arms. He can lean over and kiss Kurt on the cheek when they are stopped at a stop light. Now, he can call Kurt, _his._

\--------------

#### One Year Later

“This is hopeless!” Kurt groans at his laptop screen. 

“What is?” Blaine asks from where he is sitting on the floor before craning his neck to look back at his boyfriend who is sitting on the couch he is leaning against. 

“Finding a new place.” Kurt replies, still scrolling through apartment listings on his laptop. 

Blaine turns his body fully and puts his elbow on the couch to look at Kurt. “I didn’t know you want to move out of your place.” 

Kurt looks over at his boyfriend. “Well, I got a notice this morning from the building management saying they are raising the rent. My lease is going to be up in three months and I don’t know... maybe I should find a place a bit closer to work. My place is great when I was working at CAA, because It’s close by and I was going against the traffic.” Kurt explains. 

“I have another 6 months left on my lease, but why don’t we look for a place together?” Blaine suggests casually. They’ve talked about their future a lot during the past year, that Blaine’s suggestion isn’t out of the blue, but Kurt still feels his heart jumps at hearing it. 

“You mean, to live together?” Kurt asks to make sure, because no matter how many times they’ve talked about being together forever, Kurt wants to make sure that they are both ready for this next step. 

Blaine rolls his eyes. “No, to live further apart.” When Kurt gives him a look, Blaine smiles. “Of course, to live together. Don’t renew your lease once it ends in three months. Move in with me here for three more months until my lease is up here and, in the meantime, we’ll look for a place together. 

Kurt smirks and decides to tease Blaine. “Hmm well, there’s only one problem.” 

Blaine puts his fist under his chin to give his boyfriend his full attention. “What?” 

“I made a rule a long time ago that I wasn’t going to move in with a boyfriend unless we are engaged to be married.” Kurt replies. 

Blaine’s gasps and pretends to be shocked. “You mean, I haven’t asked you to marry me yet?” 

Kurt holds out his left hand in front of him and wags his ringless finger. “Hmm... no, you haven’t.” 

“Huh.” Blaine sets his face into a dumbfounded expression. “I could have sworn I did because I bought your engagement ring one week after our first date.” He says nonchalantly before getting up to walk over to the kitchen to get a drink. 

Kurt’s mouth falls open and he immediately stands up. “Oh, don’t you walk away from me!” He follows Blaine into the kitchen. 

Blaine closes the fridge and takes swig of water before looking at Kurt with a smirk. “Yes?” 

Kurt stares at his boyfriend with wide eyes and heart pounding loudly in his chest. “You bought me an engagement ring?” 

“Yes, I’ve had it since...” 

“The week after our first date.” Kurt finishes and Blaine nods with a smile. “So...?” 

“So, what?” Blaine says with a teasing smile. 

Kurt wants to strangle his annoyingly adorable boyfriend. “So, are you going to ask me or are you just going to hold on to that ring forever?” 

Blaine smiles amusedly. “Oh, I’m definitely going to ask you. You just won’t know when.” He leans over and kisses Kurt on his cheek before walking back to the living room. 

Kurt scoffs before following his boyfriend back into the living room to find Blaine on his bended knee. Kurt stops dead in his track. “Oh my God!” He puts his hands on his mouth. “Are you?” 

Blaine smiles and motions for him to come over. Kurt walks over to where Blaine is kneeling on the floor. Blaine reaches for Kurt’s hands. 

“Kurt Hummel, will you...” Blaine begins with a bright smile. 

Kurt’s breath stutter with anticipation. 

“Let me have the last egg roll?” Blaine asks motioning towards their leftover Chinese food on the coffee table, that they had for dinner earlier. 

Kurt pulls his hands back from Blaine’s hold and huffs. “You _jerk!_ ” 

Blaine breaks out into giggles as he sits down on the floor. 

Kurt stomps over to the couch and grabs the egg roll before glaring at his boyfriend. “The answer is _No_.” He says before taking a bite out of the egg roll. 

Blaine continues to laugh. 

For the next two weeks, Blaine tortures Kurt with almost proposals. Since that night, Kurt has been on high alert with anticipation for when Blaine is actually going to propose. Every time Blaine makes plans for dates, he’s wondering if this would be it. After two weeks, Kurt is getting frustrated. If he doesn’t love Blaine so much, he would have ended their relationship then. It doesn’t help that Blaine is having so much fun teasing Kurt. During one of their dates, they were walking at a beach in Malibu and Blaine suddenly drops to his knee. Kurt’s heart jumps thinking this was the proposal, only to find Blaine kneeling down to tie his shoelaces. 

Kurt wants to scream at his boyfriend, who he would very much like to be his fiancé already. 

Then, it happens one night. 

When Kurt is least expected. 

He’s coming back from a particularly long day at the office. He just wants to veg on the couch while curled up next to his boyfriend and watch mindless television to decompress from a stressful day. As soon as he opens the door to his apartment, he sees his entire place lit up in candles. 

“Blaine?” Kurt calls out and Blaine walks out of the kitchen. 

“Hi Honey. Welcome home.” Blaine greets his boyfriend with a smile and a kiss. 

Kurt smiles. “Thanks. What’s all this?” 

“I know you had a rough day. I just want you to have a relaxing night. I made dinner.” Blaine answers as he wraps his arm around Kurt’s waist to walk him into the dining area, where the table is set with fresh flowers and two long candles. 

“It smells so good in here. Are you making French Onion soup?” Kurt asks looking over into the kitchen. 

“Yes, I am. Your favorite.” Blaine answers. “But there’s also kale salad. I know it’s important for you to have greens with your meals.” 

Kurt smiles gratefully at his boyfriend. “You are the best boyfriend.” He kisses Blaine. “Can I go take a shower before dinner? I feel gross.” 

“Of course. I’ll keep the food warm.” Blaine replies, already walking into the kitchen. 

During dinner, they talk about their day. Blaine let Kurt vent about his chaotic day and he fills Kurt in on the meetings he had with potential clients. After dinner, they cuddle up on the couch with wine glasses. When Kurt reaches for his AppleTV remote to turn on Netflix, Blaine stops him. 

“I was wondering if I could pick something to watch tonight.” Blaine asks. 

“Sure. What do you feel like watching?” Kurt asks, handing the remote over to Blaine. 

“It’s a love story. I think you’d love it.” Blaine says before reaching for his laptop, which is on the coffee table. “But I need to do an airplay from my laptop.” 

Kurt leans back on the couch and gets comfortable as the movie begins to play on TV. “What is this called again?” 

Blaine leans over and pulls Kurt into his arms. “Shhh. It's starting.” He whispers in Kurt’s ear as the screen fade in from black to reveal Cooper. 

Kurt turns to look at Blaine confused. 

Blaine smiles. “Watch.” 

“Hi! I’m Cooper Anderson.” Cooper smiles cheekily at the camera and Kurt lets out a chuckle. “I’m here today to tell you a beautiful love story between two of my favorite people, aside from my wife and kids.” 

Cooper then walks out of his office into the open office area of CAA where Kurt and Blaine used to sit. He sits on the corner of Kurt’s old desk. “It’s between my little brother Blaine, and my former assistant, Kurt, who is also my friend. I’m sure you know who I’m talking about. They are that insanely sweet couple who are perfect for each other. They met right here in this room, where they began their friendship and slowly moved onto becoming lovers.” 

Cooper pauses before putting his hands on his chest. “I take full responsibility for their epic love story. If it wasn’t for me, they would have never met. They are annoyingly cute and they make you want to feel sick with their sweetness most of the time, but like I said before, they are truly perfect for each other. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you take a look.” 

The screen then fades into a slide show of different pictures of Kurt and Blaine throughout their relationship, accompanied by a medley of their favorite love songs. 

Kurt clutches Blaine’s hand as he watches the pictures on TV. Pictures of the two of them that show their love for each other. 

Once the slide show finishes, the screen turns back to Cooper. 

“I told you they were annoyingly cute. Now, they are about to get even more sweeter. Kurt, I believe Blaine has a question he wants to ask.” 

The screen turns to a picture of the two of them at Central Park in New York last Fall. 

Kurt turns to look at Blaine to find him slid down to the floor, holding out a sliver ring. Kurt feels tears well in his eyes and he has to put down his wine glass because his hands are shaking with emotion. 

“Kurt, I know I’ve been teasing you for the past two weeks about the proposal, but our future is no joking matter to me. I’ve been planning this for about a month now. I just wanted to take you by surprise.” 

Kurt lets out a teary chuckle. “You did.” 

Blaine smiles and rubs his thumb over Kurt’s knuckles. “Good. I’ve known from the moment we met that you were someone special. You showed me kindness when you didn’t even know me and I fell hard for you. I continue to fall in love with you every day, and I am going to for the rest of my life. The reason I didn’t plan an over the top proposal is because I don’t need any of that fancy stuff. I know you don’t too. Our relationship, and our love for each other go way deeper than fancy dinners and vacations in places we can’t pronounce.” 

Kurt lets out another chuckle. 

“I want to build a life with you. I want a marriage. One where we argue over small things and fight over big things but we would always work it out because we love and respect each other. A marriage that is filled with laughter, and passion, and joy. I want it all with you.” 

Kurt wipes away tears from his cheek. 

“So, Kurt Hummel, will you marry me?” 

“Yes.” Kurt replies without hesitation. 

Blaine’s face breaks into a wide grin before Kurt pulls him up onto the couch and wraps his arms around him to kiss him fiercely. When Blaine slides the ring onto his finger, it feels like it has always belonged there on his finger. 

They may have started out as friends, almost office romance, and even got into a few fights over their ex boyfriends; but all of those trials and errors lead them to this moment. In this moment, Kurt has never felt happier. He can’t wait for what the future holds for them. 

\---------- 

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who have read, commented, and left kudos. I truly appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it. I hope it brought a little smile to your face. 
> 
> Until next time.   
> -CC


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